Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies, NCCU

The book starts with a "comparative study of communist theory" and explores the causes of the Xi Jinping phenomenon from four major perspectives: the leader's personality, centralization of power (historical positioning, party-state relations, party discipline enforcement, central-local relations), domestic power expansion (economic development and social control), and external expansion (international trade, international politics, and Taiwan policy). In total, there are thirteen chapters, offering a comprehensive review of China's policies under Xi Jinping's ten years in power.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country's development has swung like a pendulum from the "class struggle as the central focus" during the Mao Zedong era to the "economic construction as the center" during the Deng Xiaoping period. We have witnessed dramatic changes in almost every field in Mainland China. Yet, its political system has remained largely unchanged, with the party-state deeply embedded in the country's economic and social life. The development of Mainland China not only affects neighboring countries and cross-strait relations but also influences the shifting global order, making it truly worthy of further exploration. In response, this book provides a comprehensive and systematic introduction to both domestic and international perspectives, with Mainland China at the core. The book consists of eighteen chapters, divided into four main parts: "Party History and Political System," "Economic Reform and Business Development," "Social Transformation, Environmental and Sanitation Issues, and Media," and "Foreign Relations, Military Affairs, and Cross-Strait Relations." It serves not only as a textbook for academic use and exams but also as an essential read for anyone interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of China's political, economic, and social development, international relations, and cross-strait dynamics.

The Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies (GIEAS) at National Chengchi University (NCCU) was established in 1968 through a collaboration between the Institute of International Relations of the Republic of China and NCCU. Its founding mission was to cultivate talent for the ideological struggle against communism, making it the first academic institution in Taiwan dedicated to the study of Mainland China. Over time, the institute has gradually transformed into an academic research and teaching unit, with alumni spread across various fields, establishing itself as a central hub for Mainland China studies in Taiwan. In December 2019, the institute published the book A Discipline Derived from One Institution: The Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at NCCU and the Study of Mainland China in Taiwan through Wunan Publishing Co. The book serves both to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the institute's founding and to offer an academic perspective on how the institute, as Taiwan's foremost research and teaching institution in Mainland China studies, has grown, developed, nurtured talent, exerted influence, and paved the way for the future. All of the authors are faculty members or alumni of the institute. Through both rational analysis and emotional reflection, the book highlights the contributions of the institute to the field of Mainland China studies, showcasing how it not only shaped the development of an academic discipline but also created the most comprehensive research network of its kind in Taiwan.