"Chinese Utopianism" offers a new explanation of extreme radicalism in Chinese reform movements from the late nineteenth century through the Cultural Revolution and into the post-Mao era. By studying comparable Japanese and Russian reforms that have, in contrast, pulled their societies back toward the center, Shiping Hua demonstrates how "datong"--an ancient concept that can be translated as "great harmony"--and other elements of Chinese thought have led China down a unique political path.

Shiping Hua is Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisville.