What’s Wrong with China is the most cogent, insightful and penetrating examination I have read on the paradoxes and self-deceptions of Modern China, written by someone who has lived in the country and dealt with it day to day for decades. This book will be hated by the commissars, because it is a triumph of analysis and good sense.
- PAUL THEROUX
I sure wish I’d read this book before heading to China - or Chinatown, for that matter. China runs on an entirely different operating system - both commercial and personal. Midler’s clear, clever analysis and illuminating, often hilarious tales foster not only understanding but respect.
- MARY ROACH
From the Back Cover
What’s Wrong with China is the widely anticipated follow-up to Paul Midler’s Poorly Made in China, an exposé of China manufacturing practices. Applying a wider lens in this account, he reveals many of the deep problems affecting Chinese society as a whole. Once again, Midler delivers the goods by rejecting commonly held notions, breaking down old myths, and providing fresh explanations of lesser-understood cultural phenomena.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Pirate Ship
Chapter 2: A Mania for Money
Chapter 3: Blush of Shame
Chapter 4: Beating the System
Chapter 5: Intermediaries
Chapter 6: Dulled Senses
Chapter 7: Emotional Negotiators
Chapter 8: Oliver Wendell Holmes
Chapter 9: Chemicals, Guns, and Gimcracks
Chapter 10: Sinocentric Thinking
Chapter 11: "That's My Hand"
Chapter 12: Lack of Conscience
Chapter 13: Tacit Collusion
Chapter 14: Networked Behaviors
Chapter 15: Partner on the Deal
Chapter 16: Self-Regulating Empire
Chapter 17: Corps De Ballet
Chapter 18: Informal Paradox
Chapter 19: Brown Numbers
Chapter 20: Reform, Reform, Reform
Chapter 21: The Dynastic Cycle
Chapter 22: Nibble, Nibble...
Chapter 23: The Social Order
Chapter 24: Cat’s Paws and Telegraphed Punches
Chapter 25: The Great Absorber
Chapter 26: Kleptoparasitism
Chapter 27: Cleaning the Slate
Chapter 28: Massacred in Business
Chapter 29: The China Watchers
Chapter 30: Isolationist Past
Chapter 31: The Benefit of the Doubt
