A unique analysis of the numbers that came to define Chinese politics and how this quantification evolved over time. For decades, a few numbers came to define Chinese politics-until those numbers did not count what mattered and what they counted did not measure up. Seeking Truth and Hiding Facts argues that the Chinese government adopted a system of limited, quantified vision in order to survive the disasters unleashed by Mao Zedong's ideological leadership. Jeremy Wallace explains how that system worked and analyzes how the problems that accumulated in its blind spots led Xi Jinping to take drastic action. Xi's neopolitical turn--aggressive anti-corruption campaigns, reassertion of party authority, and personalization of power--is an attempt fix the problems of the prior system, as well as a hedge against an inability to do so. The book argues that while of course dictators stay in power through coercion and cooptation, they also do so by convincing their populations and themselves of their right to rule. Quantification is one tool in this persuasive arsenal, but it comes with its own perils.

"Jeremy Wallace's new book Seeking Truth and Hiding Facts: Information, Ideology, and Authoritarianism in China is a tour de force of scholarship on the political development of the People's Republic of China (PRC), particularly in the post-Mao era...the book is very enjoyable to read and remains accessible without compromising on theoretical depth or empirical richness." - Yan Xiaojun, The University of Hong Kong, The China Quarterly

"This is an excellent book about the political economy of China and an insightful study of an authoritarian system." - Choice

"Wallace's engaging book provides both theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of Chinese politics, autocracy, and governance. The book offers a thorough, but highly readable, analysis that will benefit students and scholars alike." - Kerry Ratigan, Pacific A!airs: Volume 97