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https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/2011-01-01/when-billion-chinese-jump-how-china-will-save-mankind-or-destroy
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When A Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save Mankind -- Or Destroy It
When a Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save Mankind -- or Destroy It
By Jonathan Watts
Scribner, 2010, 448 pp.
Reviewed by Andrew J. Nathan
January/February 2011
Published on January 1, 2011
As The Guardian's environmental correspondent in Asia, Watts has traveled all over China to report on the myriad ways in which development there is ruining the environment -- through the accumulation of rubbish, the extermination of wildlife, the damming and diversion of rivers, the electrocution of fish, the confiscation and poisoning of farmland, the acidification of rain, and the dumping of wastewater into rivers and lakes. A lot of the dross dumped in China is effluent from factories producing for Western markets or garbage sent back from the West. Well-meaning government regulation is too weak to counter the pent-up lust for wealth. China may be ahead of the West when it comes to renewable energy and "green" buildings, but these advances are still in their nonage. By portraying the yin of pollution along with the yang of economic dynamism, the book renders a broad-gauge picture of China today. The country contributes in many ways to global warming -- through deforestation, overgrazing, wasteful consumption, and, of course, emitting carbon in the manufacturing process. The subtitle may exaggerate -- China by itself will neither destroy mankind nor save it -- but the book brings home how the environmental impact of China's growth affects everyone.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Asian environmental correspondent for the Guardian, Watts travels to the four corners of China, from the southwest Himalayan region, rebranded as "Shangri-la" to attract tourists, to Xanadu (Shangdu) in Inner Mongolia, exploring how Beijing is balancing economic growth with sustainability and whether China will "emerge as the world's first green superpower" or tip our species "over the environmental precipice." What he finds is both hopeful and disturbing. Wildlife refuges, rather than focusing on biodiversity, breed animals for meat and traditional remedies like black bear bile. The city of Ordos plans to build a huge wind farm and solar plant, but these benefits are offset by its coal-liquification mine, "an environmentalist's worst nightmare" of greenhouse gases and water exploitation. The Chinese dictatorship, envied by other nations for its ability to enact environmental changes without the slow democratic process, turns out to be ineffective, with power lying with developers and local bureaucracies. Readers interested in global warming will appreciate the firsthand information about China, and Watts's travels are so extensive and China is changing so fast, some material is likely to be fresh and new even for Sinologists.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Watts, an environmental correspondent for the Guardian, moved to Beijing in 2003 and found himself in the midst of an environmental crisis. Traveling through the vast land, Watts witnessed the toll that dams and railways take on the mountains of Tibet, and took part in an expedition to locate the last of a dwindling dolphin species known as the baiji, which was declared extinct after the search failed to turn up even a single one. He saw where Western waste—everything from computer hard drives to hotel welcome mats—piled up to be recycled in Guangdong and witnessed the suffering of people afflicted with cancer and AIDS in overcrowded Henan province. This stands in stark contrast to the luxuries of modernized cities, such as Shanghai, or even industrial villages like Huaxi, where citizens enjoy higher standards of living, in exchange for handing their paper wealth over to the authorities. Watts also meets forward-looking thinkers, such as Li Can, a professor working on solar power. Watts’ comprehensive, revealing study is eye-opening, not only for the way it illuminates how China’s population growth and rapid modernization affect the environment, but also for its exposure of the way Western waste contributes to the problem. --Kristine Huntley
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Product details
Publisher : Scribner; First Edition (October 26, 2010)
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Jonathan Watts
Jonathan Watts is Latin America correspondent for The Guardian. He was formerly Asia environment correspondent and president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.
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Jonathan Watts
Jonathan Watts is Latin America correspondent for The Guardian. He was formerly Asia environment correspondent and president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.
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From the United States
Sophie
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything's connected.
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2012
Verified Purchase
Maybe it was an expression just in my family to mean that something's absurdly unrelated--but as a kid, I used to hear "What's THAT got to do with the tea in China?" And "A Billion Chinese" gives us the answer (so to speak). In fact, it even conveys that, specifically, "Guangdong is where China and your life intersect."
Extensively researched, heavily annotated, this book offers stunningly detailed notes on Chinese culture and history. You'll encounter here, by turn, the country's contemporary pop icons, novelists, national park directors, along with a little Confucius and sayings of Chairman Mao. Jonathan Watts' work traverses travelogue, historical account, anthropological study, environmental reporting, and socio-political commentary. (Until the 1990s, signs on cages in the Beijing Zoo described what parts of the animal could be eaten, or used in Chinese medicine. . . . Under contentious study is whether Sichuan's mega-dams contributed to its recent earthquake . . . Land development follows the "US model of suburban villas and car commutes," etc.) The wonder is that Watts accomplishes all this in about 300 pages (not counting another 100, or so, of fine-print notes and references).
This is a must-read for anyone making a study of China, or planning travel there.
But beyond that, what's it got to do with the rest of us? It's on that score that this book is particularly powerful and significant. He reports, yes, how the Developed World outsources the darker consequences of its consumption--beginning a chapter with the image of a plastic bag (recycled!) from a Western grocery chain, billowing atop a Chinese schoolyard tree. But more: Watts describes the impacts of a China that is simply in the vanguard of any society now pursuing economic development and wealth, while being largely heedless of the welfare of its environment and people. And that might include more of us than just the Chinese . . . .
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
3 is a little too low, 4 is a little too high. This book is definitely interesting! The author is an experienced journalist who knew his stuff and reported the facts in a fairly engaging way. However the author has a very "journalistic" style and it sometimes feels like I'm reading a news article. Which is mostly fine, but can get a little dull at points. Also, this is a very depressing book. Most chapters have a pretty bleak conclusion. That's really just the nature of a nonfiction book which deals with global warming and related political/social problems - but just don't expect much sugar coating!
It did help me prepare for a study abroad trip in China and gave some interesting perspectives on the current situation. I'd recommend this to someone who's going to visit China soon.
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Non PC
4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Comprehensive Narrative
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2013
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This book reviews the pollution issues in many of the far ranging districts of China. All I can say is that I hope China is able get their arms around this before it gets any worse. The long term health effects on the Chinese people are going to be unbelievable. Highly recommended if you are curious about the terrible ripple effects of making cheap products for people around the world.
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a1234
5.0 out of 5 stars well written
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2012
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This was an intriguing story of China, a superpower with billions of citizens, even so many that you can just guess what is the total number of its citizens. And yes, many of these issues have been on the news. Many are familiar problems even in US and in any other developed country, like pollution, fast pace of technology, and increasing need for electricity, fuel, and food.
Therefore, it is no wonder that China is the topic of this book. It's growing so fast, and it has a great potential to either save the world and nature with its decisions or destroy the nature, pollute the air and water even more... A lot depends on its leaders and what will happen there in the near future.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the global politics, global environmental issues, and a growing superpower.
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Christopher R. Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars Billiant but sobering book
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2011
Verified Purchase
As he journeys the length and breadth of China he observes the impact of China's--and the world's--development on the land, flora and fauna. It is a very sad and worrying tale, which fills in many of the pieces of the puzzle that I saw while working there.
I didn't appreciate that while we were busy planting trees on our road projects, that they came from but two types of poplars and the lack of biodiversity is having a major negative impact on the bird life. While I saw the grim conditions of many workers, I didn't know that much of what we recycle in the west ends up in these dark, dank factories in China where it is processed with no regard to the workers or the environment. I knew that by building improved infrastructure we were permitting factories to relocate inland, but I didn't appreciate that this was also transferring the pollution problem inland. I always was worried about the quality of the vegetables and other products, now I see that there was good cause to be.
After cataloging the litany of problems faced by China, the author turns to the possibilities in terms of the adoption of green technologies, etc. Unfortunately, against the backdrop of the problems one has to wonder whether China has passed a point of no return with addressing its environmental issues. I do hope not, but the signs are not good.
This is a must read book for anyone involved with development in China, or who are interested in the environment and sustainability. Both fascinating and disturbing, the author deserves credit for the breadth and scope of his work.
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Yellow_Magic_Marker
3.0 out of 5 stars Rename to "How China will complete the destruction of our planet (started by Western nations)"
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2011
Verified Purchase
This is an excellently researched, very sobering book. The glimpse of hope and optimism in the title finds no confirmation whatsoever in the book -- which is fine, I did not need a "happy ending", but kind of hoped for one. The author could have driven home his message (which is "we are so screwed") in half the pages he used. After about 150 pages, the book becomes very tedious, just one depressing story after another. I would have given the book 5 stars, but it is just too long. It became torturous to finish.
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Markus Seitz
1.0 out of 5 stars Long-winded, depressing, subjective
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2011
The author has opted for quantity over quality. After a promising start, it's chapter after chapter of depressing repetition. After 280 pages of hoping for a change in perspective, I gave up and stopped reading. The hint of optimism suggested by the title is not realised. Environmental aspects are highlighted but viewed subjectively by someone who is a journalist, not a scientist. Accurate or not, this subject could have been covered more succintly and more scientificly.
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Sandy Maguire
5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful and scary expose that you won't forget
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book, layered in great detail, brilliantly covers the many environmental harms practiced throughout China at great expense to human health and life, the land, water resources, animals, and air quality with no thought for the future. The reader goes on a remarkable journey with the author and the people he meets as each chapter reveals specific mistakes of policies that reflect the harmful reality that we'll use our valuable resources now in unsafe ways with no thought of long term effects. EXPLOIT TODAY AND PUT OFF UNTIL TOMORROW EVEN IF WE KNOW BETTER is the overall policy. The author, Jonathan Watts, a noteworthy journalist, the Asia environment correspondent for The Guardian covers the material in a straight forward manner and allows the reader to see in vivid detail the ultimate price this powerful nation is paying and will continue to pay. It is not an uplifting book but full of sorrow but one that should be taught in high schools and colleges. This book has made me think deeply of so many environmental decisions that affect all of mankind.
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M. D. Laird
4.0 out of 5 stars Be Aware
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2012
Verified Purchase
This detailed analysis of China's progress is an eye opener to not only changes taking place in China but to the influence that other counties have on China. China's interest in Canadian tar sands, Brazilian rain forest, Russian forests, and African industry (of which I was already aware)is of concern as are the changes taking place in Tibet and in the Inner Mongolian grasslands. Western civilisation is quick to critisise China's pollution levels and practices but is not prepared to take any blame or realise that their own contribution to world pollution has exceeded Chinas' to date. For all who are concerned about climate and political change, in our world, take the time to read this book.
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Matt
5.0 out of 5 stars A disturbing but great book; for every China enthusiast
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2012
Verified Purchase
Great book. Very thorough. Disturbing stories from all over China about the environmental disasters that are occuring in much of the country. Watt's accounts of his travel to all these locations bring you right in.
I don't agree with all of his conclusions and philosophies, but overall a much needed book. His contstant reprise seems to be that the solution to many of these problems is decreased consumption and lower expectations of living standards. Seems fairly unrealistic, and unfair for China. It is never going to happen, so China and the world may as well try to find other solutions to these problems.
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