Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
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Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
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Narrated by:
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Eric Jason Martin
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By:
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Ezra F. Vogel
About this listen
Once described by Mao Zedong as a "needle inside a ball of cotton", Deng was the pragmatic yet disciplined driving force behind China's radical transformation in the late 20th century. He confronted the damage wrought by the Cultural Revolution, dissolved Mao's cult of personality, and loosened the economic and social policies that had stunted China's growth. Obsessed with modernization and technology, Deng opened trade relations with the West, which lifted hundreds of millions of his countrymen out of poverty. Yet at the same time he answered to his authoritarian roots, most notably when he ordered the crackdown in June 1989 at Tiananmen Square.
Deng's youthful commitment to the Communist Party was cemented in Paris in the early 1920s, among a group of Chinese student-workers that also included Zhou Enlai. Deng returned home in 1927 to join the Chinese Revolution on the ground floor. In the fifty years of his tumultuous rise to power, he endured accusations, purges, and even exile before becoming China's preeminent leader from 1978 to 1989 and again in 1992. When he reached the top, Deng saw an opportunity to creatively destroy much of the economic system he had helped build for five decades as a loyal follower of Mao-and he did not hesitate.
©2011 Ezra F. Vogel (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 20-05-21
A well researched and fascinating book.
Busts numerous myths about the Deng era. The book is helpful for understanding China today.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- wale okunrinboye
- 23-12-21
A masterpiece
Ezra Vogel provided a balanced view on the life of Deng Xiaoping. Absolutely loved listening to it. Very in depth review of the background and character of Deng, situated within a good context of the political and economic landscape of China. Without embellishment Vogel helped draw out the key to understanding Deng without pandering to any messianic themes.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul Hennigan
- 12-09-22
an incredible biography
thank you, that was the most enjoyable and interesting biography I have ever read/heard. what incredible research and beautifully written & narrated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- H. M. S. Kazi
- 27-01-22
You couldn’t have got a better narrator for this book.
The subject matter of the book had required just the kind of voice that the narrator has been blessed with.
A great book narrated by a uniquely great voice.
Please use the heavenly gift of this narrator and ask him to bless us with the narration of more books of this type: serious non-fiction.
Thanks.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jon lanģley
- 01-04-22
Overall Brilliant
Saddened to see the illustrious nation of China suffering as it has in particular over the past 150? years at Western and Japanese hands. I can see China very clearly emerging but earnestly hope as a force for good. Deng had his faults but possesed a huge amount of insight about the direction China should take. At what price. Mao often showed disregard for the people , with a few exceptions Deng was more passive in encouraging free trade over Maoism, good news for the millionaire bracket which is expanding, but nothing but poverty and death awaits Mao and Dengs original power base. of course the book is far more reaching, we see Deng and his formative years as well as the notorious Tianamen Square massacre, the long march, Vietnam and much more besides. Good, interesting read.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julian
- 12-05-23
Comprehensive account of Deng in power
Despite its daunting length, this is a thoroughly accessible biography of Deng. Often overshadowed by historians in favour of the dramatic years of 1949-1976, Deng’s period in power from 1978-92 has arguably done far more to shape the China of the 21st Century. The book has a heavy focus of those years - it is relatively light on the decades before the 1970s - and the author goes to great lengths to explore China’s opening up. Relations with other leaders and nations form a hefty part of the work and the way US-China relations developed from the 1970s is particularly illuminating. Deng’s pragmatic, clear sighted leadership stands in marked contrast to the class and theory-obsessed Mao. The narration is a little monotonous, but not gratingly so. Recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Furry Cheese
- 22-06-21
Read the book instead
Towering accomplishment of research let down by a narrator unfamiliar with Chinese language, leading to hopelessly garbled people and place names.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alan Smart
- 07-10-21
Uneven biography
Very good on policy development under Deng, but rather too uncritical on many aspects. Also very light on Deng's personal life, his family, his personal wealth, and his overall history prior to 1980. Decent enough read, but uneven .
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