Age of Ambition
By Evan Osnos
Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China. Vintage, 2015.
Summary of Age of Ambition book by Evan Osnos
A social history of China’s incredible economic growth, the Communist Party’s stronghold on political power, and the ways that citizens have adapted to their changing circumstances—based on an acclaimed journalist’s experience living in China and getting know its people, their ambitions, and their struggles.
Chapters in Age of Ambition book summary
What do you get from this book? A nuanced, human-centered exploration of China’s newfound prosperity, political dynamics, and social transformations
The dark events of Chairman Mao’s Great Leap Forward forced the Chinese to try a different way of making a living
When Evan Osnos moved to Beijing, he encountered a country in the midst of astounding changes
The age of ambition brought individualism and consumerism, along with the “Got Rich First Crowd”
Gong Hainan’s online dating site reflected a newfound “freedom of love” in China, and made her a ton of money
Chinese tastes were changing and travel became aspirational, but attitudes about the West remained ambiguous
The 2000s saw an increasing income gap in China; the Communist Party changed its narrative, if not its image
The Internet posed a big problem for the government, which put elaborate censorship systems in place
Propaganda was the essential other side of censorship—the powerful Central Propaganda Department had a broad reach
In the rebellious Internet culture of the time, writer Han Han got famous for speaking the truth
Being a political dissident in China was dangerous, but Liu Xiaobo did it anyway and won the Nobel Peace Prize
Corruption was an inevitable result of authoritarian rule combined with prosperity; government hypocrisy became difficult to ignore
Chinese people felt a “spiritual void,” as old belief systems had been destroyed during Mao’s Cultural Revolution
A vibrant spiritual revival brought meaning to people’s lives, but with growth slowing and inequality increasing the future was uncertain
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Age of Ambition — Book Summary Snapshot
Who should read Age of Ambition book
- Political scientists and economists
- history and anthropology students
- politics buffs
- anyone interested in China
About the author of Age of Ambition
Evan Osnos
Evan Osnos has worked as a staff writer for The New Yorker since 2008. He has received multiple awards for his writing, including the Asia Society’s Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia and the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. The National Book Award picked Age of Ambition as its winner in 2014.
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