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China in the 21st Century China's rapid and historic transformation is reverberating around the world. An ongoing series examines how economic, political and cultural changes in China are affecting the country, its neighbors and the United States, through discussions with experts and authors.
Special Series

China in the 21st Century

Thursday

Beijing Wary as Religion Flourishes in China

Beijing estimates that there are more than 200 million religious believers in China. But some officials worry that even sanctioned religious groups represent a challenge to communist ideology. Richard Madsen, author of China's Catholics, talks about the country's dramatic religious revival.

Beijing Wary as Religion Flourishes in China

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Thursday

Chinese-Japanese Relations

Two Asian giants, China and Japan, are struggling to get along. Their issues include disputed oil rights, military buildups, national pride, and the legacy of the second world war. Neal Conan leads a discussion on how the growing power struggle in Asia affects the rest of the world.

Chinese-Japanese Relations

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Thursday

Wednesday

China Moving 'From Comrade to Citizen'

China's capitalist economy inevitably affects its Communist politics. Party controls are less stringent and there are glimmers of political diversity. Scholar Merle Goldman discusses political change in China, and her new book, From Comrade to Citizen.

China Moving 'From Comrade to Citizen'

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Wednesday

China's Rapid Development and the Environment

Critics say that China's rapid economic growth leads to pollution in the air and water, and leaves mountains of untreated waste. In one recent incident, an explosion at a Chinese chemical plant spilled benzene into a major river, cutting off the water supply to thousands. As part of an ongoing series on China in the 21st century, experts and guests examine the country's environmental record.

China's Rapid Development and the Environment

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Wednesday

Rob Gifford: Letters from China

For six years, Rob Gifford covered China for NPR News. From Beijing to the North Korean border to the Muslim Northwest, Gifford reported on an extraordinary economic and cultural transformation.

Rob Gifford: Letters from China

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Thursday

New Bio Offers Sinister View of Chairman Mao

Mao: The Unknown Story was written by Jung Chang, who described the suffering of her family during the cultural revolution in the bestseller Wild Swans and her husband, the historian Jon Halliday.

New Bio Offers Sinister View of Chairman Mao

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Thursday

China's Technological Leap Forward

Centuries ago, China was the center of the world in innovation. In coming years, the country may push itself back to that lofty status. Time magazine correspondent Bill Powell and John Seely Brown, former director of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, look at the high-tech future of China.

China's Technological Leap Forward

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Thursday

The New China: Opportunity or Threat?

China both competes with and contributes to the U.S. economy. A look at the new China with Bill Powell, Shanghai correspondent for Time and Clyde Prestowitz, author of Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth and Power to the East.

The New China: Opportunity or Threat?

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