"This book, in one convenient volume, is the first comprehensive exploration of all episodes of Xi Jinping's (b. 1953) life history and his political career, begun at age 17. Part I explores Xi's formative childhood and youth experience as well as his governance record spanning every administrative level from the village to the capital. Part II focuses on Xi's first five-year term as General Secretary (2012-2017) and as President (2013-2018). The author discusses all major issues including Xi's legitimacy building, consolidation of power, ideological redefinition, party rectification, anti-corruption efforts, and control of dissent up until 2018. He explores reforms in the economy, social policy, the judiciary, military, and foreign relations in the same period. Xi's political life mirrors the vicissitudes of the Maoist and reform eras, and sheds light on the regime's hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses, and the changing zeitgeist of the times. By adopting a multi-disciplinary, comparative, and social science approach, this book unpacks and explains immensely complex phenomena, and offers fresh insights into the dynamics of governance in China encompassing both progressive and regressive features. It synthesizes a large corpus of cutting-edge research on China, takes issue with influential theories such as the "one party, two coalitions" view of Chinese politics, and rejects conventional wisdom that views China as a "frozen and closed system" under "one-man rule." This original contribution to scholarship explores how Xi Jinping and his team introduced an unprecedented transformation of Chinese society and politics, and initiated an activist global outreach"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction -- Part I. Xi Jinping's path to the top -- Childhood and youth : privilege and trauma, 1953-1979 -- Early career : Central Military Commission, 1979-1982 and Zhengding County, 1983-1985 -- Seventeen years in Fujian : governance and a new political economy, 1985-2002 -- The Sixteenth Party Congress, 2002, and governing Zhejiang, 2002-2007 -- The Shanghai interlude and political succession at the Seventeenth Party Congress, October 2007 -- The rials of the heir apparent and crisis management, 2007-2012 -- The Eighteenth Party Congress, November 2012, and succession politics -- Part II. Xi Jinping's first term as general secretary : governance and reform in turbulent times, 2012-2017 -- Consolidation of power, image building, and disciplining the party-state and society -- Economic revival, social development, and the search for a new development model -- Modernizing the military and recalibrating foreign relations -- Power, policy, and political succession : the Nineteenth Party Congress, October 2017 -- The Thirteenth National People's Congress, March 2018, and administrative reform -- Conclusion.

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