China's Age of Abundance: Origins, Ascendance, and Aftermath Paperback – 4 April 2024

If you are at all interested in statistics regarding health, transport, wealth and just about any other angle by which Chinese can be measured, then this book is for you.While very interesting, the number of statistics was somewhat overwhelming for me, and I have not been able to fully absorb them.The author has carried out a massive amount of research and is, rightly, a great fan of Deng, who succeeded Mao on Mao's death - luckily for China. (I was based in Hong Kong when Deng and Thatcher signed the agreement regarding HK's return to China, and visited both Shanghai and Beijing on a regular basis. The latest leadership (Xi) appears to have totally ignored what Thatcher and Deng signed, and it makes me wonder where China is now heading, otherwise than backwards).A most fascinating statistic in the book is regarding air travel within China. In 1985 the country had 82 airports. By 2020 it had 240. In 1990 there were only 503 civilian jet planes. By 2020 there were 6,795 ! I can only wonder what sort of training was given to flight crews to get enough pilots and first officers to fly all those planes safely !!Regardless of this fascinating collection of statistics and the excellent way the author lays them out, I am still left in wonderment at how a nation can revere a man like Mao, who caused total chaos with his Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.Anyway, Mr. Wang Feng, thank you for a very informative and educational book.