Party Time is an essential and eye-opening account of this poorly understood but hugely influential player in world politics.


Who is running China? Where does real power lie? In Party Time, Rowan Callick goes behind the scenes of reveal the workings of the county's political elite. This is a vivid, ground-breaking book about the world's most powerful institutions- the Chinese Communist Party.

Nearly a century after its underground beginnings in a Shanghai schoolroom, the party today exerts remarkable control. Business deals require party approval. University courses reflect party doctrine. Party families amass incredible wealth while other enterprises are squeezed out.
The party itself has over 80 million members, who range from lowly functionaries to unapproachable princelings. Why and how do people join the party? Who are its up-and-coming leaders, how are they educated and what visions do they have for China's future?
Callick show that this is a pivotal time for the party. Far from mellowing, the new leadership is as focused as ever on strengthening its role and silencing dissent. But how prepared is it for the challenges it now faces, and what will its success or failure mean for China and the world?
'Party Time is a remarkable portrait of China today. Rowan Callick writes with a twofold strength- 1) the outstanding quality of his information drawn mostly from the source- the Chinese people themselves (officials and dissenters, millionaires and paupers, artists, students, country people, urbanites, old and young) - and 2) a rare ability not to draw conclusions, but to raise the questions that truly matter, with a subtle mixture of clear-sightedness, awe and human compassion.' - Simon Leys