This concise overview of China's development since Mao's death in 1976 has been substantially expanded for the new edition to take into account the dramatic changes of recent years. Special attention is paid in this edition to recent student protests; the social effects of Deng Xiaoping's `capitalistic' reforms; the cultural impact of the Open Door policy; and the evolving relations between Taiwan and mainland China.

The book includes a postscript on the demonstrations at Tian-an-men Square and the crackdown of 3-4 June 1989, along with an analysis of the social and political effects of these events.