China's Megatrends: The 8 Pillars of a New Society

by John Naisbitt, Doris Naisbitt

Overview

“[John Naisbitt’s] vision of the world’s economy has the mark of genius.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

Internationally-renowned futurist and bestselling author John Naisbitt is back with China’s Megatrends, the most comprehensive look at the present and future of China and the transformation that is reshaping its economic, political, and social systems. Since publishing the enormously popular Megatrends—a New York Times bestseller for two years that has been published in 57 countries—John Naisbitt has become the most respected and well-known prognosticator of global trends. To write China’s Megatrends, Naisbitt and wife Doris were granted unprecedented access by the Chinese government to all aspects of the country and its social model. Using the same techniques of information gathering and analysis as Megatrends, the Naisbitts present a prescient and unique perspective on the emergent global power and its role in the future of globalization.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061963445
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/11/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	275
File size:	603 KB

About the Author

John Naisbitt has been studying and visiting China for forty-two years, first in 1967, with more than one hundred visits since. A former professor at Nanjing University, he is currently a professor at both Nankai University and Tianjin University of Finance and Economics.

What People are Saying About This

Raymond Zhou

“The best explanation to date of the hows and whys of China’s rapid rise.”

From the Publisher

"An intriguing look at the new China." —-Kirkus

Editorial Reviews

Naisbitt, author of the 1982 bestseller Megatrends—an analysis of the economic, political, social and cultural transition taking place in the U.S.—collaborates with his wife and turns his focus to our competitor to the east. Why, the authors ask, has “autocratic” China succeeded while many democratically governed states have failed to make economic progress? He tells a compelling story of a country that is maturing in hyperdrive and can concentrate on economics partially because it isn't distracted by election cycles and national soul searching. The book runs down the eight “pillars” of a new society, the strategic moves that have maneuvered China forward, and examines Chinese values, artistic and intellectual ferment, freedom and fairness, media and the swift changes that have brought a country in which wealth was unthinkable and education derided into a place that values entrepreneurism and boasts a business school enrollment comparable to middle-income countries. A thoughtful, ambitious overview sure to be of interest to all those curious about world economics. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

An analysis of economic, social and political patterns that attempts to explain the Chinese economic miracle. John Naisbitt-who wrote the megaselling Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives (1982) and teaches economics at Nankai University and Tianjin University-founded the Naisbitt China Institute with his wife, Doris. Here they examine "China as the Chinese look at their country . . . [to be] open to its shortcomings, but . . . not judge China by our own values and standards. The authors underscore that the Chinese do not like to be lectured at, but rather learn (or copy) from the West and do it their own way. They compare China's economic success since Deng Xiaoping's loosening of the centralized hinges in 1978 to the stirring of a massive, amorphous, slumbering, almost-obsolete company that is finally injected with new ideas, leadership trust and vision. The eight "pillars" on which the "new Chinese system rests" include Deng's "emancipation of the mind," which allowed people to break from the strictures of the Cultural Revolution and return to cities, jobs, businesses, schools and individual pursuits; the Chinese "vertical" system of governance, an effective "top-down, bottom-up" structure that keeps the country's social order in line while still stimulating reforms; new paradigms that encourage "a variety of trees to grow" in terms of political, military, economic and cultural frames; bad business being rejected in favor of good; the nurturing of an artistic and intellectual renaissance; an increased role in the global community; implementation of basic living standards for all; and resisting "hierarchical, authoritarian thinking" in favor of embracing competitivenessand innovation. In conclusion, the Naisbitts weigh in on "matters in dispute," such as the "three forbidden T's: Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen Square."An intriguing look at the new China. Agent: Jim Levine/Levine Greenberg Literary Agency

Kirkus Reviews

An intriguing look at the new China” — Kirkus Reviews

“Acompelling story of a country that is maturing in hyperdrive and...A thoughtful, ambitious overview sure to be of interest to all those curious about world economics.” — Publishers Weekly

“The best explanation to date of the hows and whys of China’s rapid rise.” — Raymond Zhou, China Daily

From the Publisher

The best explanation to date of the hows and whys of China’s rapid rise.

Raymond Zhou