The Communist Party of China has ruled mainland China since 1949. From Marxist revolution and class struggle to market reforms and national rejuvenation, the Party has repeatedly reinvented itself and its justification for monopolizing political power. Bringing together experts from a range of disciplines around the globe, this collection serves as a guide to understanding the Party's unparalleled durability. They examine a range of themes including the mechanics and organisation of one-party rule, the ideologies underpinning party rule, the Party's control of public discourse, technologies of social control, and adaptive policymaking. Read together, these essays provide a comprehensive understanding of the reasons for the Party's continued grip on political power in China today.

'Durable yet constantly evolving, the Chinese Communist Party has survived a 70-year history of often tumultuous change. The essays in this ambitious and wide-ranging volume examine the full spectrum of ideological and organizational features that have contributed to this historical record.' Andrew G. Walder, Stanford University, author of China Under Mao

Ben Hillman is Director of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University. Fengyuan Ji is Associate Professor at the School of Culture, History and Language in the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific.