China's Quest for a Modern Constitutional Polity

Book excerpt: China’s fast rise in recent decades has surprised and bewildered many. As the world's second largest economy and with one-fifth of the world's population, China's future has tremendous implications for the rest of the world. The world needs a peaceful and responsible China. This requires China to develop a political system with a constitutional reform matching the aspirations of her people and her role in the world. This volume documents China's social, political and cultural transformations in the past one hundred and fifty years, as they are experienced in China by the Chinese. The insights derived from this volume are the result of a deep bi-cultural understanding of both East and West. By sharing these insights, this book hopes to shed light on China’s future possibilities.