New Books Network Jeffrey Wasserstrom, "Everything You Wanted to Know about China*: * But Were Afraid to Ask" (Brixton Ink, 2025)
Mar 31, 2026
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History at UC Irvine and leading scholar of modern China, offers a lively primer on puzzling questions about the PRC. He traces links between leaders, explores censorship tactics and creative workarounds, and examines music, nationalism, and soft power. Short, sharp conversations unpack Tiananmen taboos, local politics, and why academic freedom matters.
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Xi Echoes Chiang Kai-shek On Tradition
- Xi Jinping echoes Chiang Kai-shek in celebrating Confucius and projecting traditional values despite different party labels.
- Wasserstrom compares personality, First Lady roles, and ideological shifts to show unexpected historical parallels between Nationalist and Communist leaders.
Gender Roles Flipped Between Mainland And Taiwan
- Xi's era enforces traditional gender roles while Taiwan advanced liberal gender politics, producing surprising outcomes.
- Wasserstrom notes Taiwan elected a female leader and legalized same-sex marriage, whereas the mainland reinforced patriarchal norms under Xi.
Shanghai Rock Concert That Revealed Political Frustration
- A 1986 Jan and Dean concert in Shanghai became symbolic when students were told to sit down instead of dance.
- Wasserstrom uses this moment to show youth frustration with shallow openness under CCP reforms.
