A highly readable account of the dramatic changes in China from Mao Zedong's revolution through the turmoil of the Red Guards to the country's emergence as a world economic powerhouse. - ;Where is China heading in the 21st century? Can its Communist Party survive or is it being challenged by growing inequality and unrest? Will the US and China cooperate or compete in a dangerous future? Will China's economic boom be brought to a halt by environmental catastrophe? In this highly readable account, John Gittings provides the essential information to help answer these vital questions for the world