Books like The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom by John Pomfret

Henry Kissinger’s on‑the‑record, book‑length exploration of China’s diplomatic history, drawing on his conversations with four generations of Chinese leaders and archival research to chart the country’s strategic evolution from imperial past to 21st‑century superpower.

The Hundred‑Year Marathon exposes China’s long‑term strategy to become the world’s dominant power by 2049, uncovering how historical statecraft and modern policy moves have outpaced U.S. expectations.

John Pomfret revisits his Nanjing University classmates from 1981, weaving their personal journeys with China’s seismic shift from Maoist rule to a global economy.

A detailed account of General George C. Marshall’s 1945–1947 U.S. diplomatic mission to China, aimed at forming a coalition between Nationalists and Communists during the Chinese Civil War.

Martin Jacques examines how China’s rise as an economic superpower reshapes global power dynamics, affecting culture, politics, society, and ethnicity across the twenty‑first century, while redefining Western dominance and global interdependence.

The first edition of one of the most influential treatments of China's history and culture, more personal and polemic than the later editions.

"This book looks at one of the transformative moments of the twentieth century: In February 1972, Richard Nixon, the first American president ever to visit China, and Mao Tse-tung, the enigmatic Communist dictator, met for an hour in Beijing. Their meeting changed the course of history and ultimately laid the groundwork for today's complex relationship between the countries. That monumental meeting--during what Nixon called "the week that changed the world"--could have been brought about only by powerful leaders: Nixon, a great strategist and a flawed human being, and Mao, willful and ruthless; assisted by two brilliant and complex statesmen, Henry Kissinger and Chou En-lai. And behind them lay the complex history of two great and equally confident civilizations: China, ancient and contemptuous yet fearful of barbarians beyond the Middle Kingdom, and the United States, forward-looking and confident, seeing itself as the beacon for the world"--From publisher description