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The Fall and Rise of China

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The Fall and Rise of China

By: Richard Baum, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Richard Baum
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About this listen

How can we account for China’s momentous - and almost wholly unanticipated - global rise? And what does it mean, for us in the West and for humanity’s future?

Speaking to these vital and fascinating questions, these 48 penetrating lectures by Professor Baum bring to vivid life the human struggles, the titanic political upheavals, and the spectacular speed of China’s modern rebirth. Offering multilevel insight into one of the most astounding real-life dramas of modern history, the lectures weave together the richly diverse developments and sociopolitical currents that created the China you now read about in the headlines.

You’ll get a detailed understanding of all the core events in China’s century of stunning change, including the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the Republican era and civil wars, the "Great Leap Forward", the Cultural Revolution, and the post-Mao economic "miracle". Throughout, Professor Baum reveals highly unusual details that enrich the cinematic sweep of the story. For example, you’ll learn about the Christian warlord who baptized his troops with a fire hose, the strange kidnapping of Chiang K’ai-shek, and Professor Baum’s own smuggling of top-secret documents out of Taiwan.

A core strength of these lectures is that they make sense of the dramatic events of the story by getting deeply at what underlay them, culturally, socially, and historically - leaving you with a nuanced knowledge of the forces moving China’s modern emergence. Bringing alive the passionate reinvention of China with deep discernment and humanity, they portray the confounding, majestic, heart-rending, and visionary story of a modern giant.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2010 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2010 The Great Courses
Ancient World China Inspiring Thought-Provoking Nonfiction

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All stars
Most relevant  
Richard Baum is an entertaining, engaging and knowledgeable guide through the development of modern China.
This course provides a clear linear narrative of recent Chinese history. It is presented, with humour and charm by a man who would be a great dinner guest.

Excellent introduction modern Chinese history

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Masterful narration and perspective from Richard Baum. A true masterpiece on China, from its troubled past to its awakening as a global giant.

Brilliant!

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Insightful and well delivered content.

I shows that the author truly knows what he's talking about and has lots of personal experience of China.

Excellent Lecture series

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really good content and listening was quite nice too. I am sure you will enjoy it.

wonderful content

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This is one of the best lecture series I have ever listened to. It is incredibly informative, very easy to listen to and utterly compelling. Professor Baum is a really engaging lecturer who clearly has a love for his subject matter. Far from the dry and overly academic delivery one might expect from a lecture series, this is in fact a set of exciting, educational and entertaining installments, each focused on a particular episode or period of Chinese history. Professor Baum is the perfect guide, as he not only knows the material well, but has also lived it and peppers his lectures with excellent anecdotes, as well as good humour and reflective observations all his own. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and would highly recommend it.

Outstanding, compelling lecture series

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This was my first listen of something from The Great Courses. It was excellent. Brilliant lectures.

Very interesting & enjoyable

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Fascinating series of lectures by a hugely knowledgable and insightful expert. I appreciated the peppering of personal anecdotes throughout. It was also clear that Baum is a Mandarin speaker - pronunciation of Chinese words was flawless.

Who knew history could be so gripping?

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Several other listeners have said that this is the best Audible / Teaching Company lecture series they've listened to and I have to agree. It gives tremendous insight into China and is vivid and entertaining. You get both a broad, balanced view of China and brilliant vignettes in the personal experiences of Richard Baum. It is so sad that he died just two years after finishing this series.

A brilliant, vivid history of modern China.

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So dramatic and fascinating. It is difficult as the narrator admits himself to keep track of the names of all the actors especially earlier on. But I has absolutely made me want to read more especially about the earlier history of China.

epic

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A thoroughly enjoyable retelling of Chinese history with exceptional detail, analysis and first hand accounts of the making of modern China. Perhaps a little light on ancient history but considering the depth with which the early modern period is covered this is understandable.

Entertaining and detailed

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