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Looking beyond Sun Tzu, the Silk Road and Marco Polo into the past, present and future of China's inexorable economic rise

China is on track to become the world's largest economy, yet the West still has a poor understanding of this economic giant. Greg Clydesdale looks beyond the standard Western conception of Chinese business - the Silk Road, Marco Polo and the opium trade - to examine how Cathayan merchants made money, and how China's national commerce has evolved over time.

He explains the historical practices, values and achievements of Chinese business and examines how merchants built substantial wealth by mastering the spatial and temporal dimensions of the market. He explores the commercial revolutions of the Tang and Song dynasties, the salt merchants, the porcelain industry and Howqua, who became the world's richest man.

By looking at business through China's imperial dynasties and into the modern era, we discover the strategies which enabled Chinese merchants to become rich and gain insights into the genesis of a global power. As world commerce continues to evolve, new demands will be placed on tomorrow's businesses. By examining the past, we can better understand a future in which China will once again stand like a giant.