La République populaire de Chine

People's Republic of ChinaIn 1949, although claiming to introduce a drastic departure from the previous regimes, the People's Republic of China endorsed goals which were formulated by reformers and revolutionaries of the first half of the 20th Century. The difference lay in the way the Communists achieved it. In fact, Mao Zedong's totalitarism did not lead to the changes he promised would happen, leaving a weakened and divided society. Not until the 1980s was the promise fulfilled: since the introduction of economic reforms, China's economy has been the world's fastest-growing, as it had never been seen in any human society before. And though industrialisation, urbanisation, bureaucratisation, globalisation and migrations are not specific to China, they take extraordinary proportions there, which can be explained with comparatism. The author builds his demonstration upon latest learnings acquired through research in social sciences, now that field surveys are permitted and archives are partly open. General History of ChinaThe General History of China, a series of ten illustrated volumes, combines scientific rigour and joy of reading, and represents to this day the most important synthesis ever published on the Chinese civilisation. Chronological chapters describe, as an opening of the book, the milestones of political and institutional history of the covered period, followed by thematic sections (administration, every-day life, religion, literature, economics, etc.), carefully selected in an attempt to initiate the reader. The book is enhanced with many illustrations, coloured maps, as well as a chronology, various appendices and an index.Gilles Guiheux is a sinologist, professor at Université Paris Diderot. He conducts a research program focussing on work forms in contemporary China. Among others, he has published a book on the big private entrepreneurs in Taiwan (2002).This book was published with the support of EDF.