This book discusses economic development of contemporary China from multiple perspectives. China was historically the world's largest economy and enjoyed one of the most splendid civilizations. China's GDP consisted of about one third of the world's total by 1820. However, because of the stagnation in national science and technology development and the impact of war, China fell behind the world economic development soon after. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China and especially since the initiation of the Reform and Opening Up, China's strong economic growth and development has made the country the focus of world attention. People all over the world are curious to know more about contemporary China and its economic development: how the Chinese economy is and where it is going. Such issues not only concern everyone's vital interests, but also have important influences on the whole world economy. This book discusses related issues and strives to suggest answers to a host of important questions. The book is divided into eleven connected chapters that collectively provide a comprehensive and coherent discussion of the book's central focus. Each of the eleven chapters is also sufficiently self-contained and can be read on its own, which potentially enhances the usefulness of the book.
