Chinese Utopianism
offers a new explanation of extreme radicalism in Chinese reform movements from the late nineteenth century through the Cultural Revolution and into the post-Mao era. By studying comparable Japanese and Russian reforms that have, in contrast, pulled their societies back toward the center, Shiping Hua demonstrates how
datong
—an ancient concept that can be translated as "great harmony"—and other elements of Chinese thought have led China down a unique political path.