Wild Ride: A Short History
of the Opening and Closing
of the Chineses Economy

featuring
Anne Stevenson-Yang
Co-Founder, J Capital Research

Speaker’s summary:
How did China grow from an impoverished country to become the second largest economy in the world in just over four decades? And how did this economic miracle come to an end, as seems the case today? To understand the story of China’s rapid rise and equally rapid fall, Anne Stevenson-Yang takes us back to the beginning, when Deng Xiaoping took over and opened China’s moribund economy to Western money and know-how. Stevenson-Yang, who lived and worked in China for a quarter of a century, traces each decade of China’s tumultuous development, from the roaring 1980s to today’s malaise. What happened to the promise of the political change that would come with the opening of the economy? And the institutional reforms of the last four decades? The author says the hope of such change was an illusion all along, and with the rise of Xi Jinping that capitalist experiment has ended. 

Speaker’s Bio:
Anne Stevenson-Yang co-founded J Capital Research, which publishes highly diligenced research reports on publicly traded companies. Over 25 years living in Beijing, Anne worked as an industry analyst and founded three businesses in online and print media and software. She is author of three published books, including Wild Ride: A Short History of the Opening and Closing of the Chinese Economy.

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The views expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect East-West Center policies or positions. Affairs

The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok in 1977. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects. Though Dr. Kwok has recently retired from his involvement with the program, the FEWC and the East-West Center remain committed to continuing this important program.