Chronology vi Abbreviations viii Preface ix Acknowledgements xi About the Author xii Introduction 1 1 Redemption from the Dark Past 21 2 Winning the Historic Mission: The Party under Xi 41 3 Being a Good Chinese Communist: The Search for a Moral Narrative in Xi's China 53 4 Back to Basics: The Roots of the Party's Moral Crisis 68 5 The Drama of Ideas: The Party and Ideology 103 6 The Ideological Fightback under Xi 121 7 The Aesthetics of the Party 140 Conclusion: The Party's Great Historic Mission 165 Notes 171 Suggested Readings 183 Index 189

"Kerry Brown uncovers the moral mission behind the imposing language of the Communist Party of China, opening the door to understanding just what Xi Jinping and his colleagues think they are doing. It is, indeed, a revival of Maoist politics, but not of the Cultural Revolution variety. It's a brave new world that will be with us for many years and Brown provides a clear and concise guide to it."—Timothy Cheek, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia "Kerry Brown has provided a readable, authoritative guide to understanding how the Communist Party of China is forging a new identity for itself and the country. Eschewing simplistic explanations, he shows how the Party has successfully tapped into a broader search for values and morality, helping to give it more legitimacy--and power--than many observers thought possible just a few years ago. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in the corporate culture of what makes China's ruling party tick."—Ian Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao "A fascinating book."—Martin Wolf, Financial Times "An ambitious and successful attempt to unearth the cultural, moral and historical influences that underpin the thinking and actions of the CCP, both today and during China’s recent past. This book questions many long-held and narrow assumptions about the role the ruling party in China. Highly recommended to students of Chinese politics and specialists in the field."—Robert Weatherley, University of Cambridge