The Fall and Rise of China

By: Richard Baum, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Richard Baum

How can we account for China’s momentous - and almost wholly unanticipated - global rise? And what does it mean, for us in the West and for humanity’s future?

Speaking to these vital and fascinating questions, these 48 penetrating lectures by Professor Baum bring to vivid life the human struggles, the titanic political upheavals, and the spectacular speed of China’s modern rebirth. Offering multilevel insight into one of the most astounding real-life dramas of modern history, the lectures weave together the richly diverse developments and sociopolitical currents that created the China you now read about in the headlines.

You’ll get a detailed understanding of all the core events in China’s century of stunning change, including the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the Republican era and civil wars, the "Great Leap Forward", the Cultural Revolution, and the post-Mao economic "miracle". Throughout, Professor Baum reveals highly unusual details that enrich the cinematic sweep of the story. For example, you’ll learn about the Christian warlord who baptized his troops with a fire hose, the strange kidnapping of Chiang K’ai-shek, and Professor Baum’s own smuggling of top-secret documents out of Taiwan.

A core strength of these lectures is that they make sense of the dramatic events of the story by getting deeply at what underlay them, culturally, socially, and historically - leaving you with a nuanced knowledge of the forces moving China’s modern emergence. Bringing alive the passionate reinvention of China with deep discernment and humanity, they portray the confounding, majestic, heart-rending, and visionary story of a modern giant.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2010 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2010 The Great Courses

Offers excellent objective perspective!

What did you love best about The Fall and Rise of China?

Objective perspective of the events and captured the essense of leader's characteristics.

What does Professor Richard Baum bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The tone used to describe the events and his personal encounters which would not be conveyed through text alone.

Any additional comments?

As a Taiwan-borne Chinese, it was interesting to contrast the objective narrative of the last 100 years or so history with what I had learnt in Taiwan during childhood. Great to learn aspect of China that was foreign to me before taking this course. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of understanding of not just the historical events, but the Chinese psyche during those times. Highly recommend it! (I've already recommended this to friends and family)

Exactly what I was looking for!

This book was a great and engaging way to learn modern Chinese history, in prep for moving there. The professor is a bit self centered, and a lot of the anecdotes from the last 30 years are from him-- but he is certainly engaged in the topic!

This is a great way to learn this sort of thing. It gives you a very good understanding of the nature of this story, without the stress of actually studying.


Thanks audible for another great listen!

Great start for beginners

Would you consider the audio edition of The Fall and Rise of China to be better than the print version?

Prof. Richard Baum provides a high-quality academic presentation of the main events in Modern Chinese history. As is the case with any other scholar, his historical narrative is informed by his own point of view. However, his explanation is rich enough for the informed listener to begin developing her own conclusions. I deeply regret that audible does not provide access to the companion book that The Great Courses provide when you purchase this series of lectures from them. That companion book not only summarizes the main points, it also suggests further readings. On the positive side, audible offers these lectures for a much more affordable price.

What does Professor Richard Baum bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Some of his anecdotes show the extent of his knowledge and his personal involvement with China.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's too long for that. I did listen to several hours in a row, though. And I did so while washing the dishes and cleaning my apartment. I had no difficulties following his explanation, which is very clear.

Any additional comments?

At times, it seems like all sentences follow the same cadence. However, this is an absolutely minor issue. Part of it is related to the fact that he is not a professional reader and he is following his own explanation rather than reading from a text. Other audible books where a professional reads a book are more enjoyable, but I didn't choose this book only for enjoyment. You can't get everything, and I have not found another more appealing narrator that would give you the depth of knowledge that prof. Baum provides for beginners. There is a history of China book in audible, but I have the impression that it is way worst in terms of content. In any case, despite this minor problem I enjoyed these lectures immensely.

Prophetic, Old But Very Insightful

I am not connected to China in anyway on a personal level. I have never been to China and have only traveled to Taiwan as a layover.
My context in understanding China is through the American lens.
In these highly tensing of relations between the US and China, I wanted to explore their history outside of the daily news.
The Great Courses really outdid themselves with this series. Engrossing yourself in a subject that one is not super familiar with from someone whose not just an expert but also at the crossroads in the subject matters history.
The UCLA professor really did an amazing job giving context to all the cornerstone events in China’s history in the past 200 years.
Understanding China with context is so important as we enter the next round of decades.
However, it’s published date does make it somewhat out of date. Recent events such as democratic backsliding with Hong Kong, Trumps presidency, Silk Road initiative, COVID-19 and the new tense relations post Trump does change the landscape for the final lecture.
Despite that, the lecture series is amazing in giving full context on past historical events which still give a clear picture on events happening even today.
Highly recommend

excellent set of lectures

Any additional comments?

very interetsing and informative lectures, and very well delivered.
(your demand to write at least 15 words is unreasonable----so I added just this to satisfy you)