This book defines China’s road towards modernization with Chinese characteristics by systematically examining a typical Chinese political process – the National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), during which diverse opinions are collected and a unified political consensus is formed. The author provides a detailed introduction to the background of and preparations for the 18th National Congress of CPC, as well as his personal experience of it as an attending representative. 
In addition, the book addresses a key problem, namely how China’s leadership handover procedure gradually evolved into the current collective handover procedure, by analyzing its developmental history. The question of “how to implement China’s leadership handover” is particularly meaningful, as it reflects the development of China’s political system, and is also essential to the CPC flourishing and China’s long-term prosperity. The author’s personal experiences at the 18th NationalCongress made it possible to fully investigate the leadership handover procedure between Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping.Lastly, the book provides a detailed description of one highlight of the 18th CPC National Congress – the focus on ecological culture and green development – and discusses China’s dream and its implications for history and the world.

Hu Angang was born in 1953, is a Representative of the 18th CPC National Congress, and currently serves as a Professor and Dean of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies at Tsinghua University. He is one of the pioneers and leading authorities in the field of Contemporary China Studies, enjoying a great reputation in and outside China. He was also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Thirteenth, Twelfth and Eleventh Five-Year Plans under the NDRC. He established and led the Institute for Contemporary China Studies of Tsinghua University, which was selected as one of the first 25 National High-level Think Tanks. He edited the National Research Report, more than 1300 issues of which were submitted to leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Ministers of the State Council and Provincial leaders. Hu has been honored with the Youth Entrust of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Fudan Premium Fund of Management, Third Award of the State Science andTechnology Progress Awards and the First Prize of Science and Technology Progress Awards of the China Academy of Science.