Great Courses: The Fall and Rise of China (Guidebook + 8-DVDs) [B1863]

2010 PB guidebook and 8-DVDs, 48-Lecture series, all in excellent condition. How can we account for China's momentous - and almost wholly unanticipated - global rise? And what does it mean, for us in the West and for humanity's future? Speaking to these vital and fascinating questions, these 48 penetrating lectures by UCLA Political Science Professor Baum bring to vivid life the human struggles, the titanic political upheavals, and the spectacular speed of China's modern rebirth. Offering multilevel insight into one of the most astounding real-life dramas of modern history, the lectures weave together the richly diverse developments and sociopolitical currents that created the China you now read about in the headlines. You'll get a detailed understanding of all the core events in China's century of stunning change, including the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the Republican era and civil wars, the "Great Leap Forward", the Cultural Revolution, and the post-Mao economic "miracle". Throughout, Professor Baum reveals highly unusual details that enrich the cinematic sweep of the story. For example, you'll learn about the Christian warlord who baptized his troops with a fire hose, the strange kidnapping of Chiang K'ai-shek, and Professor Baum's own smuggling of top-secret documents out of Taiwan. A core strength of these lectures is that they make sense of the dramatic events of the story by getting deeply at what underlay them, culturally, socially, and historically - leaving you with a nuanced knowledge of the forces moving China's modern emergence. Bringing alive the passionate reinvention of China with deep discernment and humanity, they portray the confounding, majestic, heart-rending, and visionary story of a modern giant.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Good course about the recent history of China. Starting at around 1700 briefly, but really focusing on the last 100 years of Chinese history. Professor Baum makes the topics pretty interesting and shares some anecdotes of his own experiences in China."; "Superb. Richard Baum's witty and erudite overview of Chinese history from the Opium Wars to China's recent emergence as a global powerhouse - is both masterful and entertaining. The series - 48 half-hour lectures - gives Baum plenty of time to discuss all major developments in minute detail; indeed, fully 75% of his time is lavished on events that occurred after the Communist takeover in 1949. Baum's approach is objective, his conclusions nuanced and persuasive, and he also spices his scholarly explanations with amusing personal anecdotes. The Teaching Company has produced many excellent lecture series, and this is one of their best."; "I have only watched the first two disks so far, but it's proving to be a thorough, non-partisan course on modern China. If you want to understand how modern China evolved to its current form, whether you approve or disapprove, this factual course is an excellent review."; "I loved Prof. Baum's college 101 level overview of Chinese history here. I think he clearly had a lot of time to work on this, and was able to skillfully choose the most critical elements to convey, both for specific events and larger themes. I also enjoyed his asides about his time in east Asia which definitely put a personal touch on these lectures. "