China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism

periods: the first two years were chaotic, and then the military takeover of the judicial system lasted between 1968 and 1972, but the last four years witnessed the restoration of the judicial system which was featured by tolerance and moderation. Fang’s meticulous study brings forth his convincing argument that fewer lawsuits occurred during this era, which differs from the previously stereotyped impression. Therefore, “the Cultural Revolution does not stand out as worse than previous periods in the PRC in respect to the judiciaries” (p. 292). A lot of pinyin phrases are inserted, for which a glossary should be provided to help the reader trace the original characters. In some footnotes, Chinese characters are offered, but for other footnotes no such renderings can be found. One historical figure, a king of the Zhou Dynasty, was rendered differently as Liwang (p. 16) and the King of Zhouli (p. 305). Although either could be an appropriate translation, one of them should be used consistently to avoid confusion. One common error concerning the collapse of the Qing Empire is that scholars habitually view 1911 as the date, as it is used here (p. 44). The revolution occurred in 1911, but the last Qing emperor abdicated in 1912, which should be the date to mark the end of the empire. Fang should be congratulated for his exhaustive research in Chinese archives, his meticulous examination of primary sources, and his efforts in bringing forth new points of view. He has offered his revisionist perspectives and supports them by convincing data. From his analysis, the reader can easily perceive the relationship among the police, procuracy, and courts, all of which are to uphold the party’s rule. As he shows, fear is always a factor in the minds of the communists who care more for the security of their regime than anything else, for which their judicial system swings back and forth to respond the need of new circumstance. The independence of the judicial system, which is a dream of many communists, has not been materialized so far. As an essential apparatus of legal instrumentalism, the judicial system has engendered problems as Fang has unmasked throughout the book. For all these reasons, he should be applauded for his comprehensive treatment of this special regimentation of the communist rule.