From Confucius to Xi Jinping

“Where do premodern Chinese political thinking and contemporary governance come together? Drawing on philosophy, history and a profound knowledge of China’s elite politics, Willy Lam puts together ideas that are thoughtful, provocative and stimulating about the DNA of today’s China.” Rana Mitter, author of China’s Good War “Willy Lam’s From Confucius to Xi Jinping: The DNA of Chinese Politics is another intellectual tour de force. It provides an original and insightful examination of the ideological tenets and political instruments of tyranny in both ancient and contemporary China. Composed with unrivalled elegance and lucidity, this book will be a standard text for those interested to gain a deep understanding of the core ideas and practices that have sustained autocracy in China for millennia.” Minxin Pei, author of The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China “A major contribution in which leading China analyst Willy Lam reverses the CCP strategy of “making the ancient serve the present” and reveals the 'Chinese DNA' that underpins the nation’s dynastic cycle” Guoguang Wu, Senior Researcher Scholar, Stanford University “From Confucius to Xi Jinping is a broad-ranging and erudite tour that illuminates politics, economy, religion, technology, and more. It spans Chinese history from the earliest times to the present day. The tour guide is Willy Lam, who loves China but is also unafraid to look squarely at the suffering the Chinese people have been through and the difficult future that they face in present times.” Perry Link, Professor emeritus of East Asian Studies, Princeton University