Book Summary and Reviews of As China Goes, So Goes the World by Karl Gerth

As China Goes, So Goes the World by Karl Gerth

As China Goes, So Goes the World

How Chinese Consumers Are Transforming Everything

by Karl Gerth

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Published:
  • Nov 2010, 272 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In this revelatory examination of the most overlooked force that is changing the face of China, the Oxford historian and scholar of modern Asia Karl Gerth shows that as the Chinese consumer goes, so goes the world. While Americans and Europeans have become increasingly worried about China’s competition for manufacturing jobs and energy resources, they have overlooked an even bigger story: China’s rapid development of an American-style consumer culture, which is revolutionizing the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese and has the potential to reshape the world.

This change is already well under way. China has become the world’s largest consumer of everything from automobiles to beer and has begun to adopt such consumer habits as living in large single-occupancy homes, shopping in gigantic malls, and eating meat-based diets served in fast-food outlets. Even rural Chinese, long the laggards of consumerism, have been buying refrigerators, televisions, mobile phones, and larger houses in unprecedented numbers.

As China Goes, So Goes the World reveals why we should all care about the everyday choices made by ordinary Chinese. Taken together, these seemingly small changes are deeper and more profound than the headline-grabbing stories on military budgets, carbon emissions, or trade disputes.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Required reading for those interested in shifting global power dynamics and current consumption patterns." - Publishers Weekly

"Describing the present, Gerth will sensitize business or tourist travelers to Chinese markets." - Booklist

"Starred Review. Nuanced, balanced and accessible—essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of China today." - Kirkus

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Author Information

Karl Gerth

Karl Gerth teaches modern Chinese history at Oxford University.

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