This book provides a systematic study of the political, economic, cultural, and educational changes that have taken place in China since 1978, and examines the impacts of these changes on the Chinese people's thinking and behavior. Jing Lin traces the gradual change of the Chinese from obedient, unquestioning citizens to critical and intelligent thinkers. She points out that with the more relaxed political and economic environment the Chinese people have gone through a period of reflection on their communist past, which has resulted in a new sense of identity and a more independent spirit. The book also looks at how the Chinese have begun to learn from other countries, resulting in an ongoing desire for openness and democracy.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
State and Society in the Aftermath of the Cultural Revolution
Political Changes and Economic Reform
Critical Reflection and the Search for New Beliefs
Media and Cultural Changes
Educational Changes
The Rising of a Civil Society
Student Movement in 1989 and the Opening of the Chinese Mind
Bibliography
Index