As a student of contemporary China, I have long noticed the reluctance among my fellow China specialists to wield a broad brush. I have also become increasingly convinced of the necessity to do so. General discussions about contemporary China are often woefully ignorant of the vast store of specialist knowledge. Specialists themselves focus on a particular slice of Chinese reality and, with few exceptions, are reluctant to enter debates even within China studies that take them beyond their core expertise. This book is an attempt to fill this gap. Writing a book for both lay and specialist audiences at once comes with an obvious risk: you may find that you reach none of them. I certainly hope that I have avoided this pitfall and that both general readers and China specialists will take away useful knowledge or insights from this book. If they don't, I apologize, but at least I tried.

This book would never have seen the light of day without the support of many among my colleagues, friends and family. I would in particular like to thank those who have read and commented on parts of the manuscript: Alka Shah, Bill Callahan, Eric Thun, André Gerrits, Barend ter Haar, David Parkin, three anonymous reviewers and my editor, Lucy Rhymer, at Cambridge University Press. It goes without saying that I alone bear final responsibility for any remaining errors in this book.