International interest in China is increasing. Not surprisingly, China-related news is hitting the headlines of leading international media. This is well grounded, given the fact that China is the largest developing country in the world with almost a quarter of the world's population. However, many reports on China are self-contradictory, which again reveals the complexities of a nation that has experienced dramatic change for over a century. For the outsider, it is virtually impossible to follow China's overriding trends of change without understanding its past and present. This book provides a chronological record of the major changes that have taken place in the Chinese economy over the past five decades.
