Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power (The Princeton-China Series)

The book is about the roots of what the West calls 'power' and what the Chinese would call 'authority.'At its core is the notion of humane authority–the authority that accrues to benevolent, admirable leaders.China intends to exercise humane authority across the world by treating the world generously, kindly and fairly and, despite our media's efforts to obscure that fact, it does.As you can see from the chart, the Chinese people already trust their government and the next step is for everyone on earth to trust the government as much.The book explains the principles behind this style of leadership and provides ample history and extensive quotes from China's greatest political minds.A must read for anyone interested in the coming change of world leadership.

The content of this book is well covered in existing reviews.It is helpful to see what Yan Xuetong’s position is in Chinese Political Thought to better understanding his purpose with this book. Daniel A. Bell’s introduction does this well setting Yan as an assertive nationalist drawing a parallel between American neo-con’s like William Kristol and Yan Xuetong as “neo-comm” as some analysis’s labeled him. But Bell goes on to reject this label arguing the Yan influenced by the ancient thought he set out is better described as a moralists, one who believes morally informed political leadership best achieve dominance in international affairs.You may wish to keep open the option that Yan is using that cover for his perception of International Relations today as a hastening toward a Bi-polar world with China closing on a dominate United States, recognizing that multi-national alliances are part of the process. The ‘soft-power’ description of current international relations under the Xi-Li government fits well into this scheme. If Dr. Yan himself is of interest you could move directly to Part III of this book.Mark Leonard in his introductory chapter to the book China 3.0 puts Yan Xuetong into the category Nationalist sub-category Neo-Comm by himself, and recalls a conversation on his first meeting with Yan asking him what China wanted from Europe, Yan’s reply: “When we go to war with America,” he said, “I would like Europe to remain neutral.” He goes on to note that Yan has made a name for himself by not taking Western terms as a given, rediscovering old Chinese concepts and applying them to international relations.*Ancient Chinese Thought is a rewarding study for those hoping to at least be informed about the direction of intellectual input into practical diplomatic actions but China 3.0 is strongly recommended for a fuller coverage of ideas in the air with in the P.R.C., try both. Many things are in process, theoretical frameworks do help to understand them hopefully. Yan’s recommendation: “I think theory must be based on reality.”Yan Xuetong was the doctoral dissertation advisor to China’s current leader Xi Jinping.* Post 2020 US election Yan notes: "China must stop ‘wishful thinking’ that rivalry with US will end with Biden." (SCMP) 12/4/20

I think it is good.

If you have an interest in this kind of thing, this is an excellent buy!

High on jargon. Arguments difficult to decipher and not particularly interesting when you do.

This comparative analysis of traditional Chinese thinkers is well done. The author also tries to suggest how their thinking is still relevant to current Chinese diplomacy

Unique insight into traditional Chinese thought provided with comments and comparison to the contemporary China, exceptional book among english-language offer

This collection of essays explores the relevance of the writings of significant pre-Qin thinkers about ancient Chinese statecraft to facilitate a better understanding of modern international relations. The pre-Qin thinkers covered include Guanzi, Laozi, Confucius, Mencius, Mozi, Xunxi, and Hanfeizi.The book consists of three essays by Professor Yan Xuetong (Director, Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing), three essays by other Chinese scholars who comment upon and critique the views of Professor Yan, and another essay by Professor Yan in response to his critics. The book also has three short Appendices: The first Appendix provides a brief description of the Spring and Autumn and Warring Periods in China, and brief synopsis of seven pre-Qin masters. The first Appendix provides useful background information for readers not familiar with the period of ancient Chinese history discussed in the substantive essays. The second Appendix has an interview of Professor Yan that explores his life and academic career. Although somewhat interesting, the second Appendix is not essential for the main topic of the book. The third Appendix is an essay by Professor Yan on why there is no modern Chinese school of international relations. The Third Appendix makes some interesting observations, but it also is not essential for the main topic of the book.The book provides an interesting look at the political philosophy of ancient Chinese thinkers, and how consideration of their views could provide some ideas and insights to facilitate a better understanding of modern international relations. The essays by Professor Yan also provide an interesting look at his views about how the study of pre-Qin thinkers can improve modern international relations theory to be more rigorous and scientific, as well as his views on how China can use ideas from the pre-Qin thinkers to "help in perfecting China's strategy for ascent" (Book at page 144).There are occasional passages of the book that are awkward and a bit stitled, but it is not clear whether that is the result of translation difficulties, academic jargon, or stylistic idiosyncracies. The book is written for a scholarly, professional audience and probably would not appeal to readers interested in more casual reading.The book could appeal to readers interested in: (1) the writings of pre-Qin thinkers about Chinese statecraft; (2) a different approach to modern international relations theory; and (3) the views of a current Chinese scholar about how China can improve and strengthen its influence in the world today. Some readers might wonder about the contemporary relevance of the discussions of ancient Chinese history and philosophy, but the book discusses an important subject that is timely and relevant to any discussion or study of modern international relations with China.

Yan Xuetong is one of the best known Chinese academics in the field of international relations, hailing from China's prestigious Tsinghua University. While known as something of a hardliner, or a Neo-Com (a misnomer as such, because Yan's work is not of a Marxist perspective), such positions are not discernible throughout the vast body of this work.What the work focuses on is pre-Qin Chinese philosophers who wrote on the nature of military power and inter-state relations (essentially before China was unified under Qin Shi Huang).As such, these writers are in many ways a kind of Chinese Thucydides, or Herodotus, and include Mozi, Mencius Hanfeizi and occasionally Laozi.The work is rather slow paced, and may appear repetitive at times, with great emphasis placed upon virtuous rule, and the differences between a Hegemon and a Sage King, essentially one who dominates through force, and one who dominates through virtue and cultural attractiveness.The book gains strength in the latter chapters, as such ancient philosophy is applied to certain modern day analogies, demonstrating how such theories may play out in modern times.Of particular strength are the appendices, as Yan Xuetong gives light into why there is not yet a defined Chinese school of International Relations theory.In all, an essential read for those who wish to further understand Chinese foreign policy, or the philosophical underpinnings of Chinese foreign policy.