Market Maoists

So much of the public discussion about China today concerns the question of where the nation is headed. What are China’s intentions in the world? Part of this debate draws from anxieties about China’s future trade plans. Will it continue to expand into global markets, or will it strive for self-sufficiency after years of tension and sanctions? My book provides a historical backdrop for this debate. Readers will see that these questions are not new. In fact, China has been struggling with how deeply to wade into global capitalism—and how to encourage economic ties abroad without losing political control at home—since at least the 1930s. The stakes are certainly higher today given the size of the Chinese economy and its connections to global markets. But from the CCP perspective, many of the fundamental challenges remain the same.

The book does not predict how China will face these challenges in the future, but it does offer the chance to consider them from the perspective of the Chinese Communist Party. Doing so reveals that the CCP has long relied on key frameworks to guide leaders as they confront new challenges in trade and politics. One important example is the concept of zili gengsheng, which means revival through one’s own efforts. In practice, the concept has served as a reminder to CCP officials never to lose sight of the threats that accompany foreign trade. Too much trade brings reliance, which can create vulnerabilities and undermine China’s independence, as it did during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Zili gengsheng captures this mindset, which is why Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders still invoke the term today.

In retrospect, it isn’t surprising that I wound up writing a book about the history of China’s ties to capitalism. I first became interested in China through trade. I graduated from college in 2002, the same year China acceded to the World Trade Organization, and after deciding, for many reasons, I wasn’t fated for a career in investment banking, I decided to move to China for a firsthand look at how increasing trade would affect daily life. I taught English in Wuhan and Beijing, traveled around the country, and met people from all walks of life. Along the way, I became interested in China in a much fuller sense. In the two decades since, I have lived in China as a teacher, a student, a researcher, and a diplomat. No two experiences have been the same, but all have allowed me to witness the scope and pace of change in China since my first visit. I became a historian because I wanted to understand these changes and to see contemporary events in a broader perspective. Market Maoists is my effort to help others do that.