The title of Wealth and Power derives from the Chinese phrase fuguo qiangbing (富国强兵), “a wealthy state and a strong army.” This saying, which originates in the ancient Chinese philosophical school of Legalism, reemerged in modern China as a mantra for reformers. Fuguo qiangbing, often shortened to fuqiang (富强, “wealth and power”), reverberates through the words of China’s modern leaders, who, disillusioned… Read more »
In the years before the First Opium War, China was one of the world’s largest economies, accounting for nearly a third of the world’s total production according to Chinese economist Justin Yifu Lin. From that peak, China began an inexorable slide over the next century, and when Mao proclaims the founding of the People’s Republic… Read more »
Welcome! This site explores the themes of the book Wealth and Power: China’s Long March to the Twenty-First Century by Orville Schell and John Delury. We’ve tried to capture some of the basic ideas of the book here, while providing an archive of interesting sources available online to enhance our understanding of the forces underpinning… Read more »