Fanshen

aOne of the most important books about China which has been written since the Revolution. . . . For anyone who wants to understand anything important about the Chinese revolution of our time, the reading of this book is an absolute necessity.a --Joseph Needham, "London Tribune" aA vivid and compelling agrass-rootsa account of life in the village precisely during the period in which the new Communist power was establishing itself. . . . [A] unique contribution to our understanding of life in a northern Chinese village on the eve of the Communist takeover.a --Benjamin Schwartz, "New York Times Book Review" aFanshen is an extraordinary book. It will dispose of many myths, both those of the Left and of the Right.a --C. P. Fitzgerald, "The Nation" aFanshen is an important book. . . . It is an arresting narrative [on] the agonizing story of rural China in turmoila]told with a remarkable evenness of temper and a rare understanding of human weaknesses and strengths. The lessons of Long Bow village, so movingly and compassionately recordeda]should be studied and restudied by all.a --C. T. Hsu, "Saturday Review" More than forty years after its initial publication, William Hintonas Fanshen continues to be the essential volume for those fascinated with Chinaas revolutionary process of rural reform and social change. A pioneering work, Fanshan is a marvelous and revealing look into life in the Chinese countryside, where tradition and modernity have had both a complimentary and caustic relationship in the years since the Chinese Communist Party first came to power. It is a rare, concrete record of social struggle and transformation, as witnessed by a participant. Fanshencontinues to offer profound insight into the lives of peasants and Chinaas complex social processes. Rediscover this classic volume, which includes a new preface by Fred Magdoff.Hinton, William is the author of 'Fanshen', published 2008 under ISBN 9781583671757 and ISBN 1583671757.