New Shanghai: The Rocky Rebirth of China's Legendary City
Author: Pamela Yatsko
List Price: $24.95
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ISBN: 0471843520
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (01 December, 2000)
Sales Rank: 83,447
Average Customer Rating: 4.79 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
New Shanghai
I found "New Shanghai" not long ago as I was preparing to visit Shanghai after six years in the states, and was attracted to it immediately. Having lived in Shanghai most of my life, I have to say that the author knows about Shanghai better than I do. I'm only familiar with the life of my like, but the book has a broad coverage, from the upper class to the cultural underdogs. In particular, I liked to read Yatsko's interviews with various people, which added a sense of reality. Yatsko has captured Shanghai's fastest socio-economic changes since it lost the luster as the most prosperous city in the Far East early last century. With her solid knowledge of economics and first-hand experience, the stories are credible and the analysis is insightful. Whereas "old Shanghai" has aroused most scholarly interest due to its relation to modernity, Yatsko's depiction of Shanghai's rebirth in the 1990s also offers a unique hindsight on its past.
Although I wish I could have read this wonderful book earlier, it's not so late in the sense that I now know more interesting places
Rating: 5 out of 5
An Excellent Primer on China and China Trade
Pamela Yatsko's book on Shanghai is much more level-headed, business-like and less reliant on personal anecdotes compared to books written by other journalists on Asia (such as China Wakes by N.Y. Times reporters Kristof and WuDunn). Although "New Shanghai" does contain some interesting "field work" and interviews made easier through Yatsko' s personal connections in Shanghai. I especially appreciate the way the information was given with an appropriate mixture of open-source/public information, empirical data and personal experiences - a balanced view of both the social and political aspects of the life of the city of Shanghai through a detailed description of the bureaucratic mechanisms that influence events; not to mention the discrepancies that often arise between the public perceptions and private experiences of people who had to deal with myriad regulations and changing societal norms that are an integral part of their work.
It's important that Yatsko states unambiguous opinions about Shanghai, and by extension China, and then backs them up with facts on the ground. Because these opinions do not always conform with the prevailing wisdom on a potentially powerful China and the China trade, they help to instill a somewhat contrary, but much needed, dose of skepticism in the current state and direction of socio-economic development in China.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Not the obvious
Yatko's book far exceeded my expectations. Well argued, carefully thought out and with an excellent thesis. It is easy for old Shanghai residents (such as myself) to revel in an Old Shanghai nostalgia that has long ceased to exist. Yatsko highlights and illustrates many points that we overlooked, ignored or never knew in the first place. Valuable reading for anyone planning to do business in China or simply interested in this great city. Similar Products
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