China's Dream The Culture of Chinese Communism and the Secret Sources of its Power

The Communist Party of China (CPC) is one of the great political forces of modern times. In charge of the destiny of a fifth of humanity, it survives despite the collapse of similar systems elsewhere. Few, however, understand the sources of this resilience, or, for that matter, what the Party itself stands for.

China’s Dream is the first book to explore the Communist Party as a cultural, rather than a political, entity. It looks at the narratives the Party has created to recount its own history, with the moral story about national rejuvenation and renaissance that these encode. It does not shy away from the thorny issue of how a Party under Mao Zedong, one associated with self-sacrifice, collectivist effort, and anti-individualism, came to pragmatically embrace market capitalism and a new ethics. The tensions to which this gives rise have resulted in a crisis of values, which is now being addressed – with very mixed results – by the CPC.

Drawing on his extensive knowledge of contemporary China, Kerry Brown takes us on a unique and fascinating journey through the least understood aspect of China today – not the great economic revolution in the material world, but the deep cultural revolution already underway in Chinese people’s daily lives.

Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies at King's College London and Director of the Lau China Institute.

Chronology vi

Abbreviations viii

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xi

About the Author xii

Introduction 1

1 Redemption from the Dark Past 21

2 Winning the Historic Mission: The Party under Xi 41

3 Being a Good Chinese Communist: The Search for a Moral Narrative in Xi's China 53

4 Back to Basics: The Roots of the Party's Moral Crisis 68

5 The Drama of Ideas: The Party and Ideology 103

6 The Ideological Fightback under Xi 121

7 The Aesthetics of the Party 140

Conclusion: The Party's Great Historic Mission 165

Notes 171

Suggested Readings 183

Index 189