Introduction Part I: The Party Myth 1: Communism Is Dead in China Myth 2: China Is Centrally Controlled Myth 3: The Leadership Is Deeply Divided Myth 4: The Communist Party Is a Monolith Myth 5: The Military Is Gaining Political Influence Myth 6: The Communist Regime Lacks Legitimacy Myth 7: The Falun Gong Is an Apolitical Movement Persecuted for Its Religious Beliefs Myth 8: The Chinese Media Is Merely a Mouthpiece of the Communist Party Part II: The People Myth 9: Chinese Culture Is Incompatible with Democracy Myth 10: Chinese Have No Manners Myth 11: Chinese People Are Not Altruistic Myth 12: The Individual Has No Value, Only the Collective Does Myth 13: All Chinese Are Only Children Myth 14: The Chinese People Are Homogeneous Myth 15: Communism Has Created Gender Equality in China Myth 16: The Chinese Are Atheists Myth 17: Shanghai Is More Liberal Than Beijing Part III: Business and the Economy Myth 18: “China Inc.” Is Buying Up the World Myth 19: China Has the United States over a Barrel Myth 20: China’s Economy Is Export Driven Myth 21: Chinese People Are Born Moneymakers Myth 22: Chinese Don’t Take Risks Myth 23: The Chinese Are Just Copycats Myth 24: The State Hinders to Economic Development in China Myth 25: Unequal Distribution of Wealth Is a Source of Social and Political Unrest Myth 26: All Economic Development Is Happening in the Big Cities on the East Coast Part IV: China and the World Myth 27: The Chinese Are Racist Myth 28: The Communist Party Is Kindling Nationalism Myth 29: China Will Once Again Dominate East Asia Myth 30: China Is Colonizing Africa Myth 31: China Is an Environmental Baddie Myth 32: The Chinese Could Tame North Korea—if They Wanted To Myth 33: China Does Not Interfere in Other States’ Internal Affairs Part V: The Past Myth 34: China’s History Spans Five Millennia Myth 35: China Is Called the “Middle Kingdom” Because Chinese People Believe Their Country Is the Center of the World Myth 36: China Discovered the World in 1421 Myth 37: All Women Were Oppressed in Ancient China Myth 38: China Has No Warrior Culture Myth 39: Chinese History Goes in Circles Myth 40: Tibet Was a Shangri-la until the Chinese Came Myth 41: Mao Was a Monster Myth 42: The Chinese Do Not Care about Their Own Historical Heritage Part VI: The Future Myth 43: The Internet Will Topple the Communist Party Myth 44: The End of the Communist Regime Is Near Myth 45: The Chinese Are Masters of Long-Term Thinking Myth 46: The RMB Will Eclipse the Dollar as the World’s Reserve Currency Myth 47: China Is a Military Threat Myth 48: Chinese Will Replace English as the World’s Language Myth 49: The Twenty-First Century Belongs to China Notes on Transliteration Bibliography