Where Did American Scholars Go Wrong in Their Study of China?

Qian'an steelworks of Shougang Corporationin Tangshan, China, on January 20, 2016. Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images

News Analysis

The year 2018 saw the disillusionment of an entire generation of China specialists, and many former “panda huggers” have begun to admit that they got China wrong. Where exactly did they go awry?

Major Flaws

According to Cheng Xiaonong, a doctoral scholar on China’s politics and economy, the majority of U.S. scholars of China have ignored some very important facts about the country. In addition, the U.S.–China study circle tends to do research in a “closed way,” without comparing China with other countries, he said.