The Governance of China

The Governance of China
English copies of The Governance of China
Editors State Council Information Office, Party Literature Research Office of CPCCC), China International Publishing Group
Author Xi Jinping
Original title 习近平谈治国理政
Country Mainland China
Language Simplified Chinese, English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, others
Genre Politics
Publisher Foreign Languages Press
Publication date
 2014, 2017
Published in English
 2014, 2017
Media type Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages 515 (V.I), 620 (V.II)
ISBN 978-7-119-09023-8 (Vol. I)
Website "china.org.cn".

The Governance of China is a Chinese political book in two volumes written by Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China and current president of the People's Republic of China. The first volume was published in 2014, and the second volume was published in 2017. The work is a collection of several dozen speeches and writings by Xi on a variety of topics, which present an official party line for China's development in the 21st century.[1][2] In these respects, Governance of China is a literary successor to Mao Zedong's Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung.[3]

Synopsis

Governance of China consists of 178 pieces, organized thematically into 35 chapters.[lower-alpha 1] Both of the work's volumes were edited by three entities: the State Council Information Office, the Party Literature Research Office (of the CPC Central Committee), and the China International Publishing Group.[6][7] The volumes are also interspersed with photography of Xi, depicting him "at work and in daily life".[6][lower-alpha 2]

The text articulates Xi Jinping Thought, Xi's political philosophy, as it relates to large-scale political issues concerning China including economics, domestic politics, international relations, infrastructure, technology, environmentalism, peaceful co-existence, and the military. Volume I also contains an appendix which is a political biography of Xi.

Volume IVolume II
ChapterPiecesTitleChapterPiecesTitle
1 4 Socialism with Chinese Characteristics 1 8 Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and the Chinese Dream
2 7 The Chinese Dream 2 4 A Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects
3 5 All-round and Deeper-level Reform 3 6 Deeper Reform
4 5 Economic Development 4 4 Rule of Law
5 3 Rule of Law 5 12 Governing the Party with Strict Discipline
6 6 Culturally Advanced China 6 3 New Development Concepts
7 7 Social Undertakings 7 8 The New Normal of Economic Development
8 3 Ecological Progress 8 5 Socialist Democracy
9 3 National Defense 9 9 Cultural Confidence
10 5 "One Country, Two Systems" 10 8 The Wellbeing of the People
11 5 Peaceful Development 11 5 Beautiful China
12 3 New Model of Major-country Relations 12 4 Military Development
13 3 Neighborhood Diplomacy 13 3 One Country, Two Systems
14 3 Cooperation with Developing Countries 14 3 China's Diplomacy as a Major Country
15 6 Multilateral Relations 15 9 Peaceful Development and Cooperation with Other Countries
16 4 Close Ties with the People 16 4 The Belt and Road Initiative
17 3 Combat Corruption 17 4 A Community of Shared Future
18 4 The CPC Leadership
Appendix Man of the People

Release

Both volumes of Governance of China were formally presented to western audiences at the London Book Fair upon their releases,[3][8] and both volumes have been translated into other major languages apart from Chinese, including English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.[9][10]

Digital versions of volume I in Chinese and English are available on digital trade platforms including Amazon, OverDrive, CNPeReading and iReader.[11]

Reception

Reviews of Governance of China have been mixed, including positive reception from Chinese officials,[12] measured praise from non-Chinese leaders,[13] and negative reviews in Western media, where the work is sometimes regarded as propaganda.[14][15] Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reported to have read the book, and to have ordered copies for the company's employees. Zuckerberg's interest in the book has been interpreted as a vested interest; Facebook is blocked in China, and if the block were lifted, the potential result would be a dramatic increase in Facebook's userbase.[15]

Although Chinese media have reported global circulation numbers for the book's volumes on the order of several million copies,[9][13] Western media have also reported very low sales numbers for the work in Western countries.[13][16][lower-alpha 3]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Volume I has 79 pieces spread across 18 chapters,[4] while volume II has 99 pieces spread across 17 chapters.[5]
  2. ↑ Volume I includes 45 photographs of Xi,[6] while volume II includes 29 photographs of him.[7]
  3. ↑ "There may not be very many readers outside China. The publisher claims the second volume has a global circulation of 13m. But, according to Scott Morton of Nielsen Bookscan, a data provider, fewer than 100 copies of the English-language version of the second volume have actually been sold in Britain since it was published in November. Sales are slightly higher in Australia, at 124. The first volume has not performed much better: 588 copies in Britain and 430 in Australia. It is likely that freebies of both volumes hugely exceed the number of copies sold to individuals. Finding foreigners who have actually read Xi’s magnum opus is about as easy as finding thigh-slapping jokes in it."[13]

References

  1. ↑ Xi, Jinping (2014). The Governance of China (Volume I). Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 978-7-119-09057-3. English paperback edition.
  2. ↑ Xi, Jinping (2017). The Governance of China (Volume II). Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 9787119111636. English paperback edition.
  3. 1 2 Wasserstrom, Jeffrey (15 May 2018). "From the Little Red Book to the Big White one". Times Literary Supplement.
  4. ↑ "First volume of Xi's book on governance republished". china.org.cn.
  5. ↑ "About the Book". china.org.cn.
  6. 1 2 3 Governance I, publisher's note.
  7. 1 2 Governance II, publisher's note.
  8. ↑ "Helping with the book launch of The Governance of China by Xi Jinping". Global China Dialogue. 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Influence of Xi Jinping book spreads with editions in more languages". The Telegraph; China Daily. 24 May 2017.
  10. ↑ Jessup, Catherine (11 April 2018). "Second volume of Xi Jinping's book launched in eight foreign languages". gbtimes.
  11. ↑ "Chinese, English editions of Xi's book on governance of country go digital". Xinhua. 2018-07-06.
  12. ↑ "Wang Huning stresses importance of Xi's second book on governance". china.org.cn. 22 December 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Xi Jinping's new blockbuster is getting a hard sell". The Economist. 26 April 2018.
  14. ↑ Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (5 February 2015). "We Read Xi Jinping's Book So You Don't Have To". Foreign Policy.
  15. 1 2 Hernandez, Alex (8 December 2014). "Mark Zuckerberg Reportedly Buying 'The Governance of China' For Employees". Techaeris.
  16. ↑ Beech, Hannah (20 April 2015). "Is Chinese President Xi Jinping's Book of Speeches Really a Best Seller?". Time.
  • Swaine, Michael D. (Fall 2015). "Xi Jinping on Chinese Foreign Relations: The Governance of China and Chinese Commentary" (PDF). China Leadership Monitor. 48: 1–13. Michael D. Swaine presents a scholarly analysis of the first volume of Governance of China. China Leadership Monitor, Issue 48, Fall 2015, a publication of the Hoover Institution.
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