The End of the Chinese Dream
Title: The End of the Chinese Dream Author: Gerard Lemos Publisher: Yale University Press, London Year published: 2013 301 pages This book is a detailed and sobering exploration of the social, economic, and personal challenges faced by ordinary Chinese citizens in the early 21st century. Drawing on extensive fieldwork conducted between 2006 and 2010, primarily in the industrial megacity of Chongqing, Lemos seeks to uncover the lived experiences, aspirations, and fears of everyday people, challenging the polished narrative of China’s rapid development and prosperity often promoted by state media. Through an innovative research method involving “wish trees,” where participants anonymously shared their hopes and concerns, Lemos provides a rare glimpse into the anxieties and frustrations of a population grappling with the consequences of breakneck modernization, systemic corruption, and social inequality. The book argues that beneath the surface of China’s economic miracl...