The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers Review Superb in its depiction and demystification of the most important force at work in China today. Essential, riveting guide to how the rising power really works (Jonathan Fenby, author of The Penguin History of Modern China)McGregor is one of the best foreign journalists who have reported from China. The Party draws on two decades of superb reporting ... A fine contribution for those who want to know about the rising power they will face in the decades ahead (Ezra Vogel, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University)This is a marvellous and finely written study of how China is really run, and how its strange but successful system of Leninist capitalism really works. It should be read by anyone doing business with or just trying to understand China (Bill Emmott, former editor of The Economist)Few outsiders have any realistic sense of the innards, motives, rivalries, and fears of the Chinese Communist leadership. But we all know much more than before, thanks to Richard McGregor's illuminating and richly-textured look at the people in charge of China's political machinery ... invaluable for anyone trying to make sense of China's future plans and choices (James Fallows, National Correspondent for The Atlantic)Fascinating and ambitious ... Richard McGregor lays bare the secretive machinery of the party (Gady Epstein Forbes)Indispens­able. If you read only one book about China this year, it should be this one. And if you do not read this book, you probably do not understand China today (Arthur Kroeber China Economic Quarterly)A book that is as informative as it is entertaining, and rich in the sort of anecdotes that put flesh on the bones of his arguments ... China has been transformed. There is no denying it. The system that takes the credit is brilliantly described by McGregor (Chris Patten Financial Times)McGregor has done the world a service with his fascinating new book (Peter Hartcher Sydney Morning Herald)A fascinating read ... in an age when Chinese economic influence is reaching new levels, it is an invaluable exercise in understanding the operation of the most powerful political party in the world (Ian Kehoe Sunday Business Post)A vivid narrative, sprinkled with humour and insightful analysis ... McGregor balances exposition of a heavy and intellectually demanding subject with anecdotes, lively quotes and word portraits of amazing characters, such as maverick "Mr Idiot Seeds", Nian Guangjiu, or arrogant, reckless former Shanghai party boss Chen Liangyu ... An engrossing read (South China Morning Post) 				    	 					 From the Inside Flap China's Communist Party is the elephant in the room. The Party is a revelatory investigation into its integral role in the country's rise as a global superpower.The political and economic growth of China in the past three decades is one of astonishing, epochal dimensions. The country has undergone a remarkable transformation on a scale similar to the industrial revolution in the West. The most remarkable part of this transformation, however, has been largely left untold-the central role of the Chinese Communist Party.As an organization alone, the Party is a phenomenon of unique scale and power. With more than seventy-three million members, it does more than just rule a country. The Party not only has a grip on every aspect of government, from the largest, richest cities to the smallest far-flung villages in Tibet and Xinjiang, it also has a hold on all official religions, the media, and the military. The Party presides over large, wealthy state-owned businesses, and it exercises control over the selection of senior executives of all government companies, many of which are in the top tier of the Fortune 500 list. In The Party, Richard McGregor delves deeply into China's inner sanctum for the first time, showing how the Communist Party controls the country, and how it keeps all corruption accusations against its members in-house. As the world's new geo-political force, the Party's decisions have a global impact, yet it remains a deeply secretive body, hostile to the law, unaccountable to anybody or anything other than its own internal tribunals, and primed to think the worst of the West. How did China's Communists merge Marx, Mao and the market to create a new superpower? How have they managed to maintain power in the face of a rapidly changing world. In this provocative and illuminating account, Richard McGregor offers a captivating portrait of China's Communist Party, its grip on power and control over China, and its future.              See all Product description