Acknowledgements

This book examines how the party-state system of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was reshaped and has operated under Xi Jinping. As is common knowledge, after Xi came to power at the end of 2012, he made significant changes to the political system to strengthen the CCP’s ability to rule and to consolidate his political position. This book analyses in depth these shifts by examining their various facets and case studies.

I began working as a researcher at the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in August 2012. My research is strongly supported by Academia Sinica’s ample resources and tranquil environment. In addition, I offered a course on the CCP’s political system at the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University in Taipei after 2019, and the discussions I had with students gave me a great deal of food for thought. I am indebted to my teachers, colleagues and students at Academia Sinica and the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies.

The 12 chapters of this book originated from journal articles that my co-authors and I have previously published. After rewriting and restructuring the contents, I added an introduction and conclusion to complete the book. I appreciate the willingness of The China Journal, The China Quarterly, the Journal of Contemporary China, China Review, China Information and Modern China to authorise the publication of these revised and updated articles as book chapters. Six of the 12 articles are from The China Journal, and I would like to express my special thanks to its current editor, Benjamin Hillman, for allowing their adapted use here. Most of the materials for these articles were gathered through fieldwork interviews that were conducted in collaboration with the relevant co-authors. I would like to express my appreciation to Tian Gang, Liao Xingmao and Zhou Wang for their major assistance with some of this related work.

I also sincerely thank Professor Jonathan Unger, the former editor of The China Journal, who gave me invaluable advice and assistance. Professor Unger encouraged me to propose an analytical framework for my research on the CCP’s political system and to have it published by a Western university press. For Taiwanese academics, publishing a book with a Western university press is quite unusual. Throughout this process, Professor Unger was attentive and offered numerous suggestions for rewrites of the book’s contents, including the title of the book and several of the chapter titles. In these respects, this book is a co-creation by Professor Unger and me. Of course, any errors are my responsibility.

In addition, I am sincerely grateful that ANU Press is willing to publish this book. I would like to thank the two reviewers for their suggestions, and Sharon Strange, Elouise Ball and Jan Borrie for their editorial and publication assistance. I would also like to thank two organisations in Taiwan for their research funding assistance, the National Science and Technology Council (No. 113-2423-H-001-002) and its Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (No. 134-2740-H-002-004-MY5-FB11403), and the Taiwan Social Resilience Research Center (No. 114L900302).

Last but not least, I will never forget my family’s assistance. My wife fully supported my research and handled many family responsibilities so I could focus on my studies. Even though my son, Tsai Shao-Chuan, is only 12 years old, he is intelligent and considerate, which is my greatest source of pride. I dedicate this book to him.