Understanding Chinese politics has become more important than ever. Some argue that China's political system is 'institutionalized' or that 'win all/lose all' struggles are a thing of the past, but, Joseph Fewsmith argues, as in all Leninist systems, political power is difficult to pass on from one leader to the next. Indeed, each new leader must deploy whatever resources he has to gain control over critical positions and thus consolidate power. Fewsmith traces four decades of elite politics from Deng to Xi, showing how each leader has built power (or not). He shows how the structure of politics in China has set the stage for intense and sometimes violent intra-elite struggles, shaping a hierarchy in which one person tends to dominate, and, ironically, providing for periods of stability between intervals of contention.

了解中国的政治已经变得比以往任何时候都重要。有些人认为，中国的政治制度已经 "制度化"，或者 "全赢/全输 "的斗争已经成为过去，但是，Joseph Fewsmith认为，正如所有的列宁主义制度一样，政治权力很难从一个领导人传给下一个领导人。事实上，每个新的领导人都必须部署他所拥有的任何资源，以获得对关键职位的控制，从而巩固权力。Fewsmith追踪了从邓小平到习近平四十年的精英政治，展示了每一位领导人如何建立权力（或不建立）。他展示了中国的政治结构如何为激烈的、有时是暴力的精英内部斗争创造了条件，形成了一个倾向于由一个人主宰的等级制度，而且具有讽刺意味的是，在争斗的间隔期内提供了稳定的时期。