Party of One

The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future

By: Chun Han Wong

Narrated by: Feodor Chin

From one of the most admired reporters covering China today, a vital new account of the life and political vision of Xi Jinping, the authoritarian leader of the People’s Republic whose hard-edged tactics have set the rising superpower on a collision with Western liberal democracies.

Party of One shatters the many myths that shroud one of the world’s most secretive political organizations and its leader. Many observers misread Xi during his early years in power, projecting their own hopes that he would steer China toward more political openness, rule of law, and pro-market economics. Having masked his beliefs while climbing the party hierarchy, Xi has centralized decision-making powers, encouraged a cult of personality around himself, and moved toward indefinite rule by scrapping presidential term limits—stirring fears of a return to a Mao-style dictatorship. Today, the party of Xi favors political zeal over technical expertise, trumpets its faith in Marxism, and proclaims its reach into every corner of Chinese society with Xi portraits and hammer-and-sickle logos. Under Xi, China has challenged Western preeminence in global affairs and cast its authoritarian system as a model of governance worthy of international emulation.

As a China reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Chun Han Wong has chronicled Xi Jinping’s hard-line strategy for crushing dissent against his strongman rule, his political repression in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and his increasingly coercive efforts to reel in the island democracy of Taiwan, as well as the domestic and diplomatic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Chinese government refused to renew Wong’s press credentials and forced him to leave mainland China in 2019, he moved to Hong Kong to continue covering Chinese politics and its autocratic turn under Xi. Now, Wong has drawn on his years of firsthand reporting across China—including conversations with party insiders, insights from scholars and diplomats, and analyses of official speeches and documents—to create a lucid and historically rooted account of China’s leader and how he inspires fear and fervor in his party, his nation, and beyond.

“A penetrating and timely unraveling of the personality and impact of a strongman president” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) Party of One explains how the future Xi imagines for China will reshape the future of the entire world.

©2023 Chun Han Wong (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Pretty Holistic View

Got a lot of the information I wanted from this book, including historical context of China/Xi, which helps me understand the state of current affairs.

Impartial, we’ll researched and critical view that is hard to find

Important reading for all free, liberal, and western democratic thinkers for an in depth analysis of a formidable power that is quickly rising , and already disrupting global order.

Current state of China’s place in the world

Party of one is an excellent book for a specialist or someone that’s interested in the current state of international affairs, and Howell China plays its role and develops is ambition for the future. I highly recommend it.

Great comprehensive view of China

If you only have time to read one book about China this year, this book should be it.

Pronunciation?

Excellent story, but for goodness sakes, find a reader that knows basic Pin Yin pronunciation. In this modern age, that really shouldn't be a difficult ask.

could they not find someone who actually speaks Chinese?

With so many names and terms in Chinese, the completely inscrutable pronunciations by the reader makes it hard to follow. Shame because there is so much nuance in the Chinese name that can't be translated.

Worrisome

Xi is a danger. Heed the warnings by this author. Long book, but deep dive into history and facts supporting the need to watch Xi’s moves.

Great inside look into the CCP and Xi Jinping

This was an informative book about the CCP and Xi Jinping. I learned a lot from the book and it is worth the listen!

Best single book to help understand modern China

I can't say enough good things about this book. It is written in an extremely accessible narrative style such that you feel like you're listening to a novel. It is sweeping in its coverage of key periods of modern Chinese history, hitting all the key events without any extraneous detail. It provides deep insights into Xi Jin Ping and how his regime works. I've read or listened to a couple of dozen books on China in the last 20 years or so, and this is easily in the top three. Excellent resource for understanding modern China.

An insider look at the state of China

Provides an inside look at what guides China and a hint of what’s to come. At a time of international tensions a good guide to how China will respond.