In 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. But by the time they returned home, Zhu Di had lost control and China was turning inwards, leaving the records of their discoveries to be forgotten for centuries.

This new edition includes a new final chapter covering events following Tiananmen Square and there is additional material on the 18th century, the roots of Chinese communism, and the relationsip between Mao and Stalin at the time of the Korean War.

Where is China heading in the 21st century? Can its Communist Party survive or is it being challenged by growing unrest? Will the US and China cooperate or compete in a dangerous future? Will China's economic boom be brought to a halt by environmental catastrophe? This book aims to provide the information to help answer these questions.

A documentary collection.

China's growth has the potential to expand the size of the global economy, more than any other nation in history. On the other hand this growth has the potential to create competitive problems for the UK and other advanced countries. This work gives an analysis of China, and examines the challenges presented by the world's most important power.