The China Dream : The Quest for the Last Great Untapped Market on Earth

“An entertaining, if cautionary, tale of Western business woes in China, stretching back seven hundred years” ( The Wall Street Journal ). In The China Dream, acclaimed business journalist Joe Studwell challenges the predictions that China will become an economic juggernaut on the world stage in the twenty-first century—and instead foresees an economic crisis. Tracing the most recent developments in China from Deng Xiaoping’s “liberalization” of its market in the 1980s through the opening of its economy to foreign investment in the 1990s, Studwell examines the roadblocks to the continuation of the country’s unprecedented expansion and why its economy will fail once more—but this time, harder than ever before, and with potentially catastrophic results. Provocative and flawlessly researched, The China Dream analyzes what’s really going on in China—and what we can do to prepare for the coming crisis. “The much-needed antidote to the delusions . . . about the riches to be made from investing and selling in China. Brimming with . . . statistics.” — The Washington Post “[A] detailed account . . . An excellent examination of the political and economic history of China, fascinating and mostly unknown to Westerners.” — Booklist (starred review) “Lays bare much of the stuff and nonsense that surrounds the China dream, and traces how myth and misunderstandings—compounded by hype and lashings of snake oil—have bewitched some of the world’s most respected corporations and led them to ruin the proverbial $1.3 billion consumer market . . . As such, it deserves to help redefine the debate on the nature of the China market.” —James Kynge, China bureau chief of the Financial Times

In The China Dream, acclaimed business journalist Joe Studwell takes to task the predictions that China will become an economic juggernaut on the world stage in the twenty-first century -- and instead foresees an economic crisis. He argues that since the days of Marco Polo, Western nations have seen the vast population of the Middle Kingdom as a fantastic opportunity for expanding trade, investing time and resources again and again in the hope to develop it, only to see, century after century, its economy crash and their dreams turn to dust. Studwell traces the most recent developments in China from Deng Xiaoping's "liberalization" of its market in the 1980s through the opening of its economy to foreign investment in the 1990s. In his rigorous analysis of the Chinese economy, government, and culture, Studwell also shows the roadblocks to the continuation of the country's unprecedented expansion and why its economy will fail once more -- but this time, harder than ever before, and with potentially catastrophic results. Provocative, flawlessly researched, and endlessly engaging, The China Dream is a book that will have the business and political worlds talking about what's really going on in China -- and what we can do to prepare for the coming crisis. "The much-needed antidote to the delusions ... about the riches to be made from investing and selling in China. Brimming with ... statistics." -- The Washington Post " An entertaining, if cautionary, tale of Western business woes in China, stretching back seven hundred years." -- Peter Wonacott, The Wall Street Journal "[A] detailed account ... An excellent examination of the political and economic history of China, fascinating and mostly unknown to Westerners." -- Booklist (starred review)

Publishers Weekly

For more than 2,000 years, China's enormous population has tempted export merchants and investors from around the world.In the 1990s, over $300 billion in foreign investment capital poured into China and expensive efforts were undertaken to sell such goods as airplanes, luxury retail items, beer and cheap cars. With very few exceptions, these ventures were disastrous, beginning with attempts dating from Roman times (the author does allow there was some success during the first T'ang dynasty [A.D. 618-907], but even this was accompanied by periodic massacres of foreign merchants). Political leaders, international agencies and analysts have also been misled many times by the apparently unlimited opportunities in China. While this observation is not entirely novel, it has never before been argued so forcefully and with such extensive, solid documentation. Studwell, one of the most respected business journalists covering China, does not expect things to get better; he predicts a full-blown economic and political crisis for China and does not expect even that to wash away the basic cultural factors that make the domestic Chinese market so impervious to foreign penetration. Lacking only recommendations for a Chinese recovery, this book is a well-written, informative introduction to business in China, albeit from a relentlessly downbeat perspective. (Mar.) Forecast: Studwell's prominence and his provocative thesis guarantee wide exposure, and reviews and word-of-mouth should be favorable. The book will also benefit from the simultaneous publication of David Sheff's China Dawn (Forecasts, Feb. 4). Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

"Since the age of Marco Polo, the West has been entranced by China's promise, viewing its vast population and resources as an unrivaled opportunity for expanding trade. During the 1990s, China astounded the world with double-digit annual growth rates, while attracting over $300 billion in foreign investment capital - an amount greater than any country other than the United States - into an economy smaller than that of Spain and the Netherlands combined. As it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, politicians, economists, and business leaders the world over hailed China's potential and envisioned that within a generation the juggernaut nation would develop into a market for goods and services that would dwarf all others.". "In The China Dream, financial journalist and China expert Joe Studwell takes to task these predictions - and instead sees a looming crisis. He argues that throughout the centuries, empires and entrepreneurs - from the Portuguese who colonized Macau to Britain's Lord Macartney to renowned financier Armand Hammer - have invested vast resources in the hopes of developing the markets of the Middle Kingdom, only to have the economy crash and their dreams turn to dust. Studwell makes the case that this cycle is playing out once more. Beginning with the arrival of the Christian missionaries and European trade emissaries of the sixteenth century, The China Dream tells the story of capitalism's attempted conquests of China and traces the more recent developments, from Deng Xiaoping's "liberalization" of its market in the 1980s through the investment gold rush of the 1990s. In a rigorous analysis of the Chinese economy, government, and business culture, Studwell shows the roadblocks to the continuation of this unprecedented expansion and why China's economy is destined to stall once more - but now with potentially catastrophic results that would be felt around the world."--BOOK JACKET. Contents Preface Cast of characters Author’s note Part 1: The making of a miracle 1 The dream through history 2 A man called Deng 3 Frenzy 4 All roads lead to Beijing 5 Demand and supply Part 2: Miracle deconstructed 6 The mornings after 7 Suspect numbers and the perils of projection 8 The socialists’ Trojan horse 9 Other people’s money Part 3: Reaching for reality 10 Parallel economies 11 Yesterday’s politics 12 The longest dream Epilogue Notes Selected bibliography Acknowledgements Index In a rigorous analysis of the Chinese economy, government, and culture, the author points out the roadblocks to the continuation of the country's unprecedented expansion, predicting a potentially catastrophic economic crisis. Reprint. Traces the double-digit annual growth rates of China in the 1990s and summarizes the beliefs of business leaders on China's future role as the world's largest economy, predicting instead an economic crisis. Explores China's potential to become one of the largest market of goods and services in the world, but cautions that too much growth too soon may cause the country's economy and culture to crumble Examines the many attempts to capitalize on "the last big market in the world" stretching back seven hundred years and includes an analysis of the present unprecedented expansion THE STORY OF the western world's commercial fascination with China dates back more than 2,000 years and it began with a product that still symbolises the relationship - silk.