In this deeply informed, clear-eyed portrait of China today, renowned Beijing-based journalist Jasper Becker looks at the world's most populous nation and where it's headed as it transforms itself into a global economic power. Becker is the ideal guide to the profound changes in China that are already reshaping economic, diplomatic, and military strategies all over the globe. Intertwining in-depth analysis with revealing anecdotal evidence, he addresses every major question. What form will China's government take? How will communism's legacy affect modernisation? Can Shanghai's success with urban capitalism be replicated elsewhere? Will wholesale cultural and economic change be resisted by the millions facing sudden transition from an authoritarian state to a market-driven society? How will the new China cope with pollution, unemployment, and voracious demand for energy?Each chapter examines a specific region and such key local issues as poverty, minority unrest, and official corruption, then places them in the broader context of Chinese society as a whole. Vividly illustrated with photographs that capture the paradox of an ancient culture remaking itself into a dynamic consumer society, Dragon Rising is a wonderfully written, well-rounded, wide-ranging depiction of China's problems and prospects.