China

China, the country formally known as the People's Republic of China, is the world's most populous country, with approximately one-fifth of the world's total population. It sits on a landmass of 9,600,000 square kilometers and is the third-largest country in the world. Since sweeping economic reforms instituted in 1978, the country's GDP has quadrupled and it is now the second-largest economy in the world. But those are just six basic facts. What does China really look like in the beginning of the twenty-first century? China paints a decisive and contemporary portrait of the country through short, thematic segments that blend lively, highly visual texts by Neal Leach and sumptuously illustrated photographs by Laurent Gutierrez + Val rie Portefaix. Each section considers a popular cultural icon--Mao, the Great Wall, video games, karaoke, Yao Ming, and so on--and divines what they reveal about Chinese culture. The book portrays China as the new America, a country that is fast becoming not only the leading industrial nation but also a dynamic center of world culture.