Beautiful Imperialist: China Perceives America, 1972-1990

(Paperback)

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From President Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972 to the aftermath of the Tiananmen tragedy, this book examines the changing perceptions of the United States articulated by China's "America Watchers," whose occupation is to interpret the "beautiful imperialist" for China's elite and public. While other studies have looked at the behavioral history of U.S.-China relations, this is the first to probe the perceptual dimension.

Reviews

"David Shambaugh has uncovered a story that shocks and dismays me because I for one ... was innocent of the extent to which the supposedly best-informed Chinese are both ignorant and critical of America."--Lucian W. Pye, The China Quarterly "An important, pioneering study by one of a select group of younger American IR specialists..."--John Watt, The American Asian Review "This path-breaking study ... concludes that there is a large perception gap in U.S.-China relations... [Both] sides are imbued with a severe case of cognitive dissonance, wishful thinking, misinformation, and misperception."--Donald S. Zagoria, Foreign Affairs

Author Bio

David Shambaugh is a Lecturer in Chinese politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and editor of The China Quarterly.