China’s meteoric rise has reshaped the global economy. In just a couple decades it has grown from a largely agrarian society to the world’s second largest economy. Now, it is impossible to have a conversation about global politics and trade without mentioning China. How has China managed to lift more than half of its population out of poverty and become one of the most prosperous countries in the world? What can China’s development teach the rest of the world about the role of economic liberalization and migration in fighting poverty and creating prosperity?

Sharing insights from his recent book, "China’s Great Migration: How the Poor Built a Prosperous Nation", Bradley M. Gardner, shows how the migration of 260 million people from China’s rural countryside to its giant cities transformed the nation. He draws on on his extensive experience as a journalist and researcher working in China to explain how the largest economic migration in the history of the world transformed China into the industrial powerhouse it is today.

SPEAKER:

Bradley Gardner
Research Fellow, Independent Institute; Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State

MODERATOR:

N. Bruce Pickering
Vice President of Global Programs, Asia Society and Executive Director, Asia Society Northern California, Asia Society