Age of Ambition Book Summary - Age of Ambition Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Age of Ambition summary

Name: Age of Ambition
Rating: 3.6 (15 reviews)
Author: Evan Osnos

Evan Osnos

Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China

3.6 (15 ratings)

19 mins

Table of Contents

Age of Ambition
summarized in 11 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 11

What’s in it for me? Learn what’s behind China’s recent rise and what it’s doing to Chinese society.

In recent decades one country has outstripped all others. China – once seen as a rural, poverty-stricken and paranoid nation – has become the world’s largest exporter and one of its biggest industrial nations. Its population is becoming richer by the year. What’s behind this rapid turn around?

These blinks show you just how China has managed to become one of the world’s leading economies. They also show you how this growth is having huge knock-on effects for Chinese society as a whole. Perhaps most importantly, the nation is moving from its traditionally centralized and autocratic roots to a more individualist and open society.

In these blinks you’ll discover

why the Chinese department which controls media doesn’t officially exist;
why the Chinese Communist Party employ professional internet trolls; and
how Chinese officials use gift shops to funnel their bribes.

Since the 1980s China’s economy has been growing spectacularly – and continues to expand today.

The Chinese economy has become an incredible success story: over the course of only a few decades, the country has leapt from poverty to economic domination, and become one of the biggest players in the world – its rapid growth continues to this day.

In fact, over the last 30 years China’s economy has grown at a rate of approximately eight percent per year in terms of GDP. In other words, it has doubled in size every seven to eight years!

That makes China the fastest-growing economy worldwide. Between 1989 and 2014, China’s annual GDP growth rate averaged an astonishing nine percent, while the United States’ grew only three percent during the same period.

Coupled with China’s amazing GDP growth is an equally impressive rise in income – one that continues to soar today.

Consider, for example, that in 1978 the average Chinese per capita income was a meager $200 per year. In contrast, the average Chinese citizen today brings home 30 times that amount – around $6,000. What’s more, wages, just like China’s overall economic conditions, continue to improve.

In addition, China has become increasingly important as an exporter over the years.

Back in 1999, China’s exports amounted to less than a third of those of the world’s largest exporter, the United States, placing it at number nine on the list of top global exporters. However, a mere decade later China had launched itself into first place.

Clearly, China’s economy is booming. That only leaves us asking: Why?

China’s economic jump-start came from its peasants – not from some clever political plan.

In the 1950s China was still a very poor country. Even as late as 1979, the People’s Republic of China’s per capita income was still a mere third of those in sub-Saharan Africa. So what changed? What triggered this enormous growth?

Let’s start with what didn’t work: when Mao Zedong tried to lift China out of poverty in the late 1950s, he was far from successful.

The Chinese people are hungry for success.

In 1966 Mao Zedong initiated a radical sociopolitical movement, the Cultural Revolution, which aimed to create a state based on total equality. The military, for example, eliminated rank, and the Party banned competitive sports in order to imbue their culture with greater solidarity.

However, once the Chinese were allowed to start their own businesses, their ambitions became more apparent. This drive to achieve success is still a characteristic of many Chinese people.

China’s wealth is distributed very unevenly, leading to increasing public discontent.

Many Chinese biographies read like incarnations of the American dream: with increasing privatization and a booming market, it seems as if everyone could “make it,” provided they are willing to put in the hard work.

As it turned out, however, that pervasive sense of endless possibility was overly optimistic.

Dissidents and protesters face harsh sanctions.

China’s constitution, like most in the modern world, guarantees its citizens freedom of speech and of the press. Yet the constitution has no legal authority over the Party, which has led to massive civil rights abuses. Here are only a few examples.

Writer and civil rights activist Liu Xiaobo, for instance, was arrested simply for launching a civil rights initiative that aimed to collect signatures for Charter 08, a declaration on civil rights signed by thousands of Chinese intellectuals.

The Central Publicity Department strives for maximum control of public life in China.

Many people know that the Chinese media isn’t exactly free. But few know about a specific department that heads China’s media control system: the Central Publicity Department.

This is partly because the Department operates in the background, thus evading public scrutiny.

The government tries to control the internet, but users nonetheless find ways to exchange ideas.

The Central Publicity Department gives the Chinese government considerable influence over traditional media, but the internet does not lend itself to such clumsy controls.

Nevertheless, the Party tries to restrict the information and ideas that are exchanged over the internet. Censors block influential international news sources such as the New York Times and Facebook, while the Chinese version of Google, “Baidu,” automatically blocks search results that include politically sensitive words.

Today, many Chinese people disclose and discuss government censorship and manipulation.

With the rise and spread of the internet, ordinary people are turning into media experts who have the tools to identify and expose the Party’s propaganda ploys.

For example, whenever photos have been doctored by Party propagandists, bloggers are likely to notice – and to point it out. They’re sure to comment on images that have been altered in such a way as to make officials look more physically imposing, for example, or make a crowd appear larger.

Corruption is flourishing in China.

The juxtaposition between a modern, booming economy and a repressive government is striking. The reality is, however, that the boom and the authoritarian nature of governance are interrelated: the more the economy grows, the more public servants strive (successfully) to get rich through bribery.

Indeed, corruption began to mushroom as soon as the government began allowing private ownership of land and factories, and opened up the distribution of capital to investors in 1992.

In modern China, people are increasingly individualistic.

Until very recently, the Chinese defined themselves above all else in terms of the groups they belonged to – families, work collectives, etc. We even find this reflected in the lyrics of older popular songs: very rarely would you find the word “I” in place of “we.”

But times have changed. China’s younger generation is very individualistic. The Chinese call the generations born since the 1980s the “Me” generation.

Communism’s destruction of belief systems left a spiritual void that the Chinese are still trying to fill.

For some Chinese today, a weasel in the house is nothing to fret about. In fact, it’s an omen of imminent wealth! For decades, however, admitting to such a belief would have been ill-advised.

This is because, in the past, Chinese communists actively fought religious belief systems.

Want to see all full key ideas from Age of Ambition?

Key ideas in Age of Ambition

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Age of Ambition about?

Age of Ambition offers an insightful look into the many changes that have taken place in China over the past 30 years, transforming the country from a destitute, developing nation into the economic powerhouse it is today. Evan Osnos examines the day-to-day lives of Chinese citizens as they navigate a new social and economic reality.

Best quote from Age of Ambition

In my years in China . . . airline passengers doubled; cell phone sales tripled; the length of the Beijing subway quadrupled.

—Evan Osnos

Who should read Age of Ambition?

Anyone who wants to understand China today
Anyone who wants to learn about China’s rise to economic power
Anyone curious about the balance between individualism and state domination in China

About the Author

Evan Osnos is an American journalist who has worked both as bureau chief of the Chicago Tribune and as the New Yorker’s China correspondent. In addition, he contributed to a series on government safety standards that won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, and has been awarded two Overseas Press Club prizes. His first book, Age of Ambition, won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2014.

Categories with Age of Ambition

Economics

Books like Age of Ambition

China In Ten Words

Yu Hua

The ten key concepts underlying China’s transformation

29 min

4.0

The Road to Unfreedom

Timothy Snyder

Russia, Europe, America

A Brief History of Tomorrow

China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order

20 min

4.4

Superhuman Innovation

Chris Duffey

Transforming Business with Artificial Intelligence

A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece

18 min

4.7

Pathways to Peace of Mind

Napoleon Hill

Never-Before-Published Writings on Obtaining the Greatest Riches

15 min

4.3

You Can Fix Your Brain

Dr. Tom O'Bryan

Just 1 Hour a Week to the Best Memory, Productivity, and Sleep You've Ever Had

19 min

3.9

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Intuition or deliberation? Where you can (and can't) trust your brain

Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock

A Magical Fable About Following Your Dreams

A Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are

24 min

4.6

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Mark Manson

A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Listening to the Twentieth Century

The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come From, and What Makes Us Happy

24 min

4.3

The Age of Spiritual Machines

Ray Kurzweil

When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence

How Today's Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything

Regicide and Revenge in one of the World's Most Famous Tragedies

A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

19 min

4.7

How to Be Your Own Therapist

Owen O'Kane

Boost Your Mood and Reduce Your Anxiety in 10 Minutes a Day

19 min

4.5

The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control

Katherine Morgan Schafler

A Path to Peace and Power

Your Personal Guide to the Mastery of Magic Words

14 min

4.7

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Tom Standage

How your favorite drinks changed the world

Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation, and Eat Like the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be

20 min

4.6

The Gap and the Gain

Dan Sullivan with Benjamin Hardy

The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success

19 min

4.6

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Dr. Daniel G. Amen

The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness

14 min

4.2

How to Talk to Anyone

Leil Lowndes

92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships

Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

The Art of Discovering the Happiness Within

Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics

32 min

4.5

Tiny Beautiful Things

Cheryl Strayed

Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

13 min

4.1

Love More, Fight Less

Gina Senarighi

Communication Skills Every Couple Needs

How to Overcome Depression through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Positive Psychology

What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know

23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present

16 min

4.2

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Jack Weatherford

The fascinating story behind the Mongol Empire

16 min

4.3

The Beginning of Infinity

David Deutsch

Explanations That Transform the World

The Failure of Globalism

The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning

How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events

Adventures in Grandparenting

The Present and Future of the World

19 min

4.0

100 Million Years Of Food

Stephen Le

What Our Ancestors Ate and Why It Matters Today

Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious

31 min

4.0

Dare to Lead (New Version)

Brené Brown

Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts.

A Captivating Novel on Second Chances in the Early 19th Century.

19 min

4.7

Why the Universe Is the Way It Is

Hugh Ross

Using Science and Scripture to Answer Humanity’s Big Questions

15 min

3.8

Living Buddha, Living Christ

Thich Nhat Hanh

Explore the common ground of Christianity and Buddhism

25 min

4.2

The Power of the Pussy

Kara King

How to Get What You Want from Men: Love, Respect, Commitment and More!

13 min

3.6

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.