Chinese utopianism

"Chinese Utopianism offers a new explanation of the extreme radicalism of Chinese reform movements from the late nineteenth century through the Cultural Revolution and on to the post-Mao era. By studying comparable Japanese and Russian reforms that have, in contrast, pulled their societies back toward moderation, Shiping Hua demonstrates how datong, an ancient culturally central concept that can be translated as "great harmony," along with other elements of Chinese thought, has led China down a unique political path." "This new book is an example of an emerging body of scholarship that highlights Chinese, rather than Western, concepts in analyzing China. In this case, Hua treats datong as central to understanding China, while employing a comparative method to bring in important contrasting notions from Russia and Japan."--Jacket.