The Rise and Fall of the East
How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline
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Narrated by:
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Rebecca Lam
About this listen
Chinese society has been shaped by the interplay of the EAST—exams, autocracy, stability, and technology—from ancient times through the present. Beginning with the Sui dynasty's introduction of the civil service exam, known as Keju, in 587 CE—and continuing through the personnel management system used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—Chinese autocracies have developed exceptional tools for homogenizing ideas, norms, and practices. But this uniformity came with a huge downside: stifled creativity.
Yasheng Huang shows how China transitioned from dynamism to extreme stagnation after the Keju was instituted. China's most prosperous periods, such as during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and under the reformist CCP, occurred when its emphasis on scale (the size of bureaucracy) was balanced with scope (diversity of ideas).
Considering China's remarkable success over the past half-century, Huang sees signs of danger in the political and economic reversals under Xi Jinping. The CCP has again vaulted conformity above new ideas, reverting to the Keju model that eventually led to technological decline. It is a lesson from China's own history, Huang argues, that Chinese leaders would be wise to take seriously.
©2023 Yasheng Huang (P)2023 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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I have discovered a group of women who refuse to be exploited, are immune to manipulation, and who never settle in the name of love. These ladies know what they want and take what they want by beating men at their own game. Utilizing the secrets exposed in this book, these women gain power, money, and status. Men call them gold diggers, women call them hos, but they call themselves winners. This is the book that society doesn't want you to listen to….
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I spent $24,000 in 4 months
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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it's Nearly perfect
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I'm sure its great if you are a mother ....
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Mythology: Mega Collection
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Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....
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An interesting set of introductions.
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The Philosopher's Toolkit: How to Be the Most Rational Person in Any Room
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Taught by award-winning Professor Patrick Grim of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, The Philosopher’s Toolkit: How to Be the Most Rational Person in Any Room arms you against the perils of bad thinking and supplies you with an arsenal of strategies to help you be more creative, logical, inventive, realistic, and rational in all aspects of your daily life.
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My Big TOE: Awakening, written by a nuclear physicist in the language of contemporary culture, unifies science and philosophy, physics and metaphysics, mind and matter, purpose and meaning, the normal and the paranormal. The entirety of human experience (mind, body, and spirit) including both our objective and subjective worlds is brought together under one seamless scientific understanding.
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What a Trip (but to where?)
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What listeners say about The Rise and Fall of the East
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Wyatt
- 03-11-24
Thought provoking
I'm far from qualified to evaluate the correctness of the hypothesis but it was thought provoking and illuminating in any case.
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- Andrea
- 09-07-24
Appalling business-speak
It's an okay read, though nothing exceptional. The book centers on two main arguments:
1. China lagged technologically because it wasn't divided into smaller kingdoms, unlike post-Roman Western Europe.
2. The imperial examination system (Keju) suppressed creativity.
The first point isn't new-many scholars have made similar observations. The second argument, however, is more compelling. Huang provides extensive details about the Keju system, showcasing its complexity. The fact that few modern nations could implement such an intricate system also highlights the Imperial China's impressive organizational capacity.
When discussing recent developments, Huang sticks to mainstream views but peppers his narrative with interesting anecdotes. He seems to view the 1990s-2000s as an ideal period and is entirely critical of Xi Jinping's leadership (which is understandable from a certain point of view). The writing style occasionally resembles that of business consultants, with some sections reading like PowerPoint slides, and that's what really irked me. This came out of an academic press and yet the writing would occassionally devolve into corporate lingo making it feel more like your average pop-business book rather than a scholarly work.
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