(2nd Edition: July 6, 2012) In The Chinese Dream, a groundbreaking book about the rising middle class in China, Forbes columnist and China expert Helen Wang challenges us to recognize that some of our fears about China are grossly misplaced. As a result of China's new capitalist paradigm, a burgeoning middle class-calculated to reach 800 million within the next fifteen years-is jumping aboard the consumerism train and riding it for all it's worth-a reality that may provide the answer to America's economic woes. And with China's increasing urbanization and top-down governmental approach, it now faces increasing energy, environmental, and health problems-problems that the U.S. can help solve. Through timely interviews, personal stories, and a historical perspective, China-born Wang takes us into the world of the Chinese entrepreneurial middle class to show how a growing global mindset and the realization of unity in diversity may ultimately provide the way to creating a saner, safer world for all.


Helen Wang is an award-winning author, consultant, and expert on China’s middle class. Originally from China, Wang has lived in the United States for more than twenty years. After finishing her master’s degree at Stanford University, she joined a prestigious think tank-Institute for the Future, in Menlo Park, California-where she consulted for Fortune 500 companies including Apple Computer, Oracle, and Bank of America. Wang then became an entrepreneur at Silicon Valley Internet start-ups. In 2004, she returned to Stanford University as a Reuters Fellow, developing technology solutions for underserved communities. Wang’s new book The Chinese Dream: The Rise of the World’s Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You has won the 2012 Eric Hoffer Book Award and First Horizon Award. Wang has appeared on BBC World Television News, CNNMoney, been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, and featured in San Jose Mercury News, China Daily, and other major media. A Forbes contributing columnist and sought-after speaker, Wang now divides her time between consulting for companies doing business in China and helping non-profit organizations make a difference.