Out of Mao’s Shadow (2008), by Philip Pan, is not only one of the best books about China that I’ve read recently, it’s also one of the best books that I’ve read recently, period. Pan, a former Beijing correspondent for the Washington Post, focuses on problems with China’s authoritarian state: its refusal to acknowledge its own history, the corruption endemic to its economic reforms, and harsh crackdowns on individuals who push for political change. What makes his book incredibly effective is his focus on individuals. Each chapter concentrates on one person and his share of the “struggle for the soul of a new China.” Through the eyes of these “characters” — including the doctor who exposed SARS, a documentary filmmaker chasing the story of a young woman imprisoned after the Anti-Rightist campaign, and a ruthless real estate developer — we see the government in action. And it doesn’t come out looking good.
Living in urban China, in the relatively rarefied environment of a university campus, I’ve tended to focus on the positive aspects of economic reforms. For my friends and my students, 改革开放 (gaige kaifang, reform and opening up) has brought new opportunities to pursue careers and personal lives with relatively little government interference. The Communist Party isn’t really “communist” any more, and from their perspectives, that is a good thing. But reading Pan’s book is a useful reminder that the “de-communization” of China has left a substantial portion of the population behind:
In the process, the party adopted a form of capitalism that could be as exploitative as anything Marx — or Mao — ever envisioned. Market forces generated wealth and prosperity, but unrestrained by democratic institutions, they also produced grim work conditions. Barred from setting up trade unions or organizing strikes, coal miners and other workers had little leverage against bosses with access to the world’s largest labor pool. Without a free press or independent courts, workers had nowhere to take compaints against employers who refused to pay them or exposed them to health hazards. Without elections, they had no way to remove corrupt officials who colluded with businesses instead of enforcing labor regulations.
Although the government still pledges loyalty to Communist principles, it uses what Pan calls “logic-defying contortions” to bring those principles in line with the capitalist reality of China today. Instead of the “iron rice bowls” of old, workers in state-run factories (like the Liaoyang Ferroalloy Factory, profiled in the book) are now abandoned, laid off as their companies go “bankrupt.” As we see in Out of Mao’s Shadow, these bankruptcies are often in-name-only, with plenty of profits left over to line the pockets of company and government officials.
Pan has a sharp eye for these inconsistencies between what the government says and what the government does. Yet he does acknowledge the real achievements of the government in recent decades — raising 200 million people out of poverty, for instance. For this sense of balance as well as its compelling narratives, Out of Mao’s Shadow would be my #1 recommendation for anyone looking to read a single book on today’s China.
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