This book analyzes Chinese politics, particularly the rule of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping, through an examination of the country’s political ideology.

This book succinctly covers the DNA of Chinese politics through the philosophies of sages in China’s first liberalization period during the Warring States epoch, principally those of Confucius, Mencius, Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi, Shang Yang and Han Fei. With an appreciation of these traditional ideologies, this book displays how Chinese political philosophy (which incorporates elements of Confucianist and especially Legalist thinking) has influenced ideas and policies from as early as the Qin and Han dynasties through to the Qing dynasty and even to the current day. Highlighting the controversies revolving around the flowering and contention of beliefs and isms during China’s second liberalization in the Republican Period (1912-1949), this book reveals how and why this led to the repression of the CCP era under dictators ranging from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping.

Revealing how Chinese political and philosophical legacies impact the development of ideology and policies of CCP leadership, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of Chinese politics, Chinese history, and international relations.

Willy Lam is a Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, Washington, DC, and a research affiliate with several academic institutions in North America. Previously, he taught Chinese politics and foreign policy for 15 years at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Lam has 40 years of experience writing about China. His books include China in the Era of Xi Jinping, Xi Jinping: The Hidden Agendas of China’s Ruler for Life, and The Fight for China’s Future (all published by Routledge).