The Dean of Shandong : Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University

A Financial Times Best Book of the YearAn inside view of Chinese academia and what it reveals about China's political systemOn January 1, 2017, Daniel Bell was appointed dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University—the first foreign dean of a political science faculty in mainland China's history. In The Dean of Shandong, Bell chronicles his experiences as what he calls “a minor bureaucrat,” offering an inside account of the workings of Chinese academia and what they reveal about China's political system. It wasn't all smooth sailing—Bell wryly recounts sporadic bungles and misunderstandings—but Bell's post as dean provides a unique vantage point on China today.Bell, neither a Chinese citizen nor a member of the Chinese Communist Party, was appointed as dean because of his scholarly work on Confucianism—but soon found himself coping with a variety of issues having little to do with scholarship or Confucius. These include the importance of hair color and the prevalence of hair-dyeing among university administrators, both male and female; Shandong's drinking culture, with endless toasts at every shared meal; and some unintended consequences of an intensely competitive academic meritocracy. As dean, he also confronts weightier matters: the role at the university of the Party secretary, the national anticorruption campaign and its effect on academia (Bell asks provocatively, “What's wrong with corruption?”), and formal and informal modes of censorship. Considering both the revival of Confucianism in China over the last three decades and what he calls “the Communist comeback” since 2008, Bell predicts that China's political future is likely to be determined by both Confucianism and Communism. **An inside view of Chinese academia and what it reveals about China’s political system** On January 1, 2017, Daniel Bell was appointed dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University—the first foreign dean of a political science faculty in mainland China’s history. In __The Dean of Shandong__, Bell chronicles his experiences as what he calls “a minor bureaucrat,” offering an inside account of the workings of Chinese academia and what they reveal about China’s political system. It wasn’t all smooth sailing—Bell wryly recounts sporadic bungles and misunderstandings—but Bell’s post as dean provides a unique vantage point on China today. Bell, neither a Chinese citizen nor a member of the Chinese Communist Party, was appointed as dean because of his scholarly work on Confucianism—but soon found himself coping with a variety of issues having little to do with scholarship or Confucius. These include the importance of hair color and the prevalence of hair-dying among university administrators, both male and female; Shandong’s drinking culture, with endless toasts at every shared meal; and some unintended consequences of an intensely competitive academic meritocracy. As dean, he also confronts weightier matters: the role at the university of the Party secretary, the national anticorruption campaign and its effect on academia (Bell asks provocatively, “What’s wrong with corruption?”), and formal and informal modes of censorship. Considering both the revival of Confucianism in China over the last three decades and what he calls “the Communist comeback” since 2008, Bell predicts that China’s political future is likely to be determined by both Confucianism and Communism.

An inside view of Chinese academia and what it revealsabout China's political system On January 1, 2017, DanielBell was appointed dean of the School of Political Science andPublic Administration at Shandong University-the first foreign deanof a political science faculty in mainland China's history. InThe Dean of Shandong, Bell chronicles his experiences aswhat he calls "a minor bureaucrat," offering an inside account ofthe workings of Chinese academia and what they reveal about China'spolitical system. It wasn't all smooth sailing-Bell wryly recountssporadic bungles and misunderstandings-but Bell's post as deanprovides a unique vantage point on China today. Bell, neither aChinese citizen nor a member of the Chinese Communist Party, wasappointed as dean because of his scholarly work on Confucianism-butsoon found himself coping with a variety of issues having little todo with scholarship or Confucius. These include the importance ofhair color and the prevalence of hair-dyeing among universityadministrators, both male and female; Shandong's drinking culture,with endless toasts at every shared meal; and some unintendedconsequences of an intensely competitive academic meritocracy. Asdean, he also confronts weightier matters: the role at theuniversity of the Party secretary, the national anticorruptioncampaign and its effect on academia (Bell asks provocatively,"What's wrong with corruption?"), and formal and informal modes ofcensorship. Considering both the revival of Confucianism in Chinaover the last three decades and what he calls "the Communistcomeback" since 2008, Bell predicts that China's political futureis likely to be determined by both Confucianism and Communism.

An inside view of Chinese academia and what it reveals about China’s political system On January 1, 2017, Daniel Bell was appointed dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University―the first foreign dean of a political science faculty in mainland China’s history. In The Dean of Shandong , Bell chronicles his experiences as what he calls “a minor bureaucrat,” offering an inside account of the workings of Chinese academia and what they reveal about China’s political system. It wasn’t all smooth sailing―Bell wryly recounts sporadic bungles and misunderstandings―but Bell’s post as dean provides a unique vantage point on China today. Bell, neither a Chinese citizen nor a member of the Chinese Communist Party, was appointed as dean because of his scholarly work on Confucianism―but soon found himself coping with a variety of issues having little to do with scholarship or Confucius. These include the importance of hair color and the prevalence of hair-dyeing among university administrators, both male and female; Shandong’s drinking culture, with endless toasts at every shared meal; and some unintended consequences of an intensely competitive academic meritocracy. As dean, he also confronts weightier matters: the role at the university of the Party secretary, the national anticorruption campaign and its effect on academia (Bell asks provocatively, “What’s wrong with corruption?”), and formal and informal modes of censorship. Considering both the revival of Confucianism in China over the last three decades and what he calls “the Communist comeback” since 2008, Bell predicts that China’s political future is likely to be determined by both Confucianism and Communism.