"China's New Rulers, based on leaked secret Communist Party files that were compiled in choosing China's "Fourth Generation" of leaders, offers an unprecedented glimpse into the most orderly transition in the history of the People's Republic. It reveals the backgrounds, characters, and visions for the future of the men who will rule China for the next five years, profiles other key figures in the party, government and military, and provides new perspectives on Jiang Zemin's 13 years in power.

Andrew J. Nathan is Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. He is the author of China's Transition, China's Crisis: Dilemmas of Reform and Prospects for Democracy, and Chinese Democracy, the coauthor of The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China's Search for Security, and the co-editor of The Tiananmen Papers.


Bruce Gilley is a doctoral student in politics at Princeton University and a former contributing editor at the Far Eastern Economic Review.