China, the most populous nation in the world with more than 1.3 billion people and a history stretching back 3,500 years, has become an increasingly significant force in the world. It聮s a nation just beginning to flex its economic and global muscle.
But it聮s also a very complex nation facing problems, many of which receive little or no attention outside its borders, according to University of Colorado professors Timothy Weston and Lionel Jensen, co-editors of the book "China Beyond the Headlines," published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.
Weston and Jensen will be at the Tattered Cover Book Store at 16th and Wynkoop streets in Denver on Tuesday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. reading from the book.
"In this book we wanted to explore a more complex China than usually gets presented to Americans by the media," said Weston, an assistant professor of Chinese history at CU-Boulder. "What we found, and what we think needs to be understood, is that China and the United States are facing many similar challenges as nations."
In fact, according to Jensen and Weston, the book strives to address issues like environmental degradation, unemployment, growing inequality, and ethnicity and human rights, in an accessible and self-reflective way that brings modern China to life, while dispelling the myth that it is merely a country to be feared.
The book聮s 14 chapters were written by a range of authors, a number of whom teach at the University of Colorado, and delve into many topics including: "China聮s New Economic Reforms: Replacing Iron Rice Bowls with Plastic Cups;" "Big Bad China and the Good Chinese: An American Fairy Tale;" and "Promoting Human Rights in China: An Activist聮s Perspective."
"Many people think of China as a threat," Weston said. "I聮m not saying that there is nothing threatening about China, but what I am saying is when looked at carefully, China聮s economy and society have a number of very serious problems."
For example, in his chapter Weston writes about China聮s 200 million unemployed and underemployed people. "That聮s close to three-quarters of the population of the U.S.," he said.
But such issues are rarely covered in-depth, said the book聮s co-editor Lionel Jensen, an associate professor of history and director of the Program in Chinese Studies at the University of Colorado at Denver.
"What we are after is a frank discussion of some of China聮s problems, those that are beyond the headlines that average citizens see about China," Jensen said.
Both professors authored chapters in the book. Weston聮s chapter delves into unemployment and labor unrest in China, while Jensen looks at corruption in China and draws comparisons to American politics.
"With a changing economy come changes in the infrastructure. Outdated state-owned factories and businesses are being closed and people are being laid off," Weston said, describing the topic of his chapter. "There is a great deal of unrest."
Much of what is reported about China has to do with economics and trade issues, but there is simply so much more to the world聮s largest country.
"We feel that it is important to give the American public a complex picture of Chinese contemporary life," Jensen said. "We want to provoke reflection from average Americans who read the book."
Professor Weston recently participated in the conference "U.S. China Relations at the Crossroads 聳 A Summit Dialogue," at UCLA. Weston joined Kenneth Lieberthal 聳 U.S. Presidential Special Assistant, and Xu Zhihong 聳 President of Peking University, New York Times reporter Seth Faison, and Orville Schell 聳 the dean of the school of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
"China Beyond the Headlines" is available in local bookstores for $21.95.