Extraordinary Sunday Times Masterful ... entertaining and insightful Economist Superb ... an essential, riveting guide to how the rising power really works -- Jonathan Fenby If you read only one book about China this year, it should be this one. And if you do not read this book, you probably do not understand China today -- Arthur Kroeber China Economic Quarterly A compelling exploration of the world's largest and most successful political machine New Statesman A book that is as informative as it is entertaining ... China has been transformed. The system that takes the credit is brilliantly described by McGregor -- Chris Patten Financial Times McGregor is one of the best foreign journalists who have reported from China. The Party draws on two decades of superb reporting ... A fine contribution for those who want to know about the rising power they will face in the decades ahead -- Ezra Vogel, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University Few outsiders have any realistic sense of the innards, motives, rivalries, and fears of the Chinese Communist leadership. But we all know much more than before, thanks to Richard McGregor's illuminating and richly-textured look at the people in charge of China's political machinery ... invaluable for anyone trying to make sense of China's future plans and choices -- James Fallows, National Correspondent For The Atlantic Fascinating and ambitious ... Richard McGregor lays bare the secretive machinery of the party -- Gady Epstein Forbes McGregor has done the world a service with his fascinating new book -- Peter Hartcher Sydney Morning Herald A fascinating read ... in an age when Chinese economic influence is reaching new levels, it is an invaluable exercise in understanding the operation of the most powerful political party in the world -- Ian Kehoe Sunday Business Post A vivid narrative, sprinkled with humour and insight ... amazing characters ... an engrossing read South China Morning Post Gripping ... McGregor brings to life the characters behind the icons of Chinese power and wealth, the figures that built the Shanghai skyline and rebuilt Beijing for the Olympics. More importantly, he gives us a feel for the dynamics behind China's rise Irish Times A lively and penetrating account of a party that ... has clung to secrecy as an inviolable principle -- Andrew Higgins Washington Post Eminently readable ... McGregor has done a great service to those who would hope to better understand where China's power lies China Economic Review An illuminating glimpse behind the red curtain ... McGregor's lucid dissection shows how top-ranked party members - indeed the party itself - sit outside the law Metro

Richard McGregor is the China bureau chief for the Financial Times. Since 1990, he has spent all but two years in north Asia, starting in Taiwan, and then in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing, where he established offices for The Australian newspaper. He joined the FT in 2000 in Shanghai and was appointed China bureau chief in 2005. He has also contributed articles and reports to the BBC, the International Herald Tribune and the Far Eastern Economic Review.