Chinese Utopianism: A Comparative Study of Reformist Thought with Japan and Russia, 1898-1997

WASHINGTON—Woodrow Wilson Center Press has published a new book, Chinese Utopianism: A Comparative Study of Reformist Thought with Japan and Russia, 1898-1997, by Shiping Hua. It is copublished with Stanford University Press.

Chinese Utopianism offers a new explanation of extreme radicalism in Chinese reform movements from the late nineteenth century through the Cultural Revolution and into the post-Mao era. By studying comparable Japanese and Russian reforms that have, in contrast, pulled their societies back toward the center, Shiping Hua demonstrates how datong—an ancient concept that can be translated as "great harmony"—and other elements of Chinese thought have led China down a unique political path.

"It is hard to imagine a reader who would not find stimulating both the ideas and the range of material cited in Chinese Utopianism. Shiping Hua should be congratulated for taking on the grand themes of continuity and cultural difference. The result is a unique examination of modern Chinese political culture and its traditional roots." —Brantly Womack, University of Virginia

"The value and novelty of Chinese Utopianism lie in its synthesis of the cases compared. Hua's overall thesis that there is a propensity toward utopianism in Chinese political culture not shared by either Japan or Russia is an original take, and will likely provoke important discussion and debate." —Peter Moody, University of Notre Dame

Shiping Hua is Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisville. He was an Asian Policy Studies Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2004–5.

Chinese Utopianism is distributed by Stanford University Press, www.sup.org or telephone 1-800-621-2736. The list price is $35.00 for hardcover.

Woodrow Wilson Center Press publishes books by fellows, resident scholars, and staff written in substantial part at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Titles range from popular accounts of historical topics to fundamental reviews of scholarly fields to authoritative background on important policy issues. For more information about the Press, or to search its backlist of titles, please visit www.wilsoncenter.org/press.