Guangxi & China’s Gilded Age

A book review of “Red Roulette” by Desmond Shum

Abstract

Desmond Shum’s Red Roulette is an important book to understand the political imperatives that have shaped China’s return to ideology under Xi Jinping. Shum’s is an autobiographical account of the political economy of China, where business success is closely linked to one’s political connections and the effective management of a web of relations. While the players and the terms of discourse may evolve, the game is always the same.