Cheng Li () is a
Chinese-American
Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from m ...
scholar specializing in Chinese elite politics and contemporary Chinese society; he has served as the director of the
John L. Thornton China Center at the
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
since 2014, replacing
Kenneth Lieberthal
Kenneth Guy Lieberthal (; born September 9, 1943) is an American professor and politician known as an expert on China's elite politics, political economy, domestic and foreign policy decision making, and on the evolution of US-China relations. ...
in the role. Li is a prominent authority on Chinese politics, specifically leadership dynamics and the changes in leaders over generations.
Early life and education
Li grew up in the city of
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
, and was at one point a
barefoot doctor
Barefoot doctors () were healthcare providers who underwent basic medical training and worked in rural villages in China. They included farmers, folk healers, rural healthcare providers, and recent middle or secondary school graduates who receiv ...
in his community. He is a graduate of
East China Normal University
East China Normal University (ECNU) is a comprehensive public research university in Shanghai, China. It was formed in 1951 by the merger of the Great China University (est. 1924) and Kwang Hua University (est. 1925) and originated from the St. ...
. In 1985, he came to the United States for graduate studies at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
. He later received a Ph.D. from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
.
At University of California, Berkeley, Li studied under the well-known scholar
Robert Scalapino
Robert Anthony Scalapino (19 October 1919 – 1 November 2011) (Chinese name: 施樂伯) was an American political scientist particularly involved in East Asian studies. He was one of the founders and first chairman of the National Committee on ...
, and was mentored by the veteran China watcher
A. Doak Barnett Arthur Doak Barnett (8 October 1921, Shanghai – 17 March 1999 Washington, D.C.), known as A. Doak Barnett, was an American journalist, political scientist, and public figure who wrote about the domestic politics and the foreign relations of China ...
.
Career
From 1993 to 1995, he worked in China as a fellow with the U.S.-based
Institute of Current World Affairs
The Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA) is an operating foundation established in 1925 by US industrial heir and magnate Charles Richard Crane to advance American understanding of international cultures and affairs by sending young professi ...
, observing grassroots changes in his native country. Based on this experience, he published a nationally acclaimed book, ''Rediscovering China: Dynamics and Dilemmas of Reform'' (1997).
[
]
Li has written notably about the rise of " technocrats" in Chinese leadership circles. A portion of his research is informed by a large databank he had accumulated about Chinese leaders and their relations with one another.[
]
Li has advised a wide range of government, business and non-profit organizations on working in China. He is a director of the
National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, a member of the Academic Advisory Group of the Congressional U.S.-China Working Group, a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations and a director of the
Committee of 100. Before joining
Brookings in 2006, he was the William R. Kenan professor of government at
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
, where he had taught since 1991.
Li has been a recipient of fellowships or research grants from the
Smith Richardson Foundation
The Smith Richardson Foundation is a private foundation based in Westport, Connecticut that supports policy research in the realms of foreign and domestic public policy.
According to the foundation's website, its mission is "to contribute to i ...
, the
Freeman Foundation, the
Peter Lewis Foundation, the
Crane-Rogers Foundation, the
Emerson Foundation Emerson may refer to:
People
* Emerson (surname), a surname (and list of people with that name)
* Emerson (given name), a given name (and list of people with that name)
Places Australia
* Emerson Crossing, a place in Adelaide
Canada
* Emerson, ...
, the United States
Institute of Peace
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes can ...
, Hong Kong Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences and the
. From 2002 to 2003, he was a residential fellow of the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...
.
He is frequently called on to share his unique perspective and insights as an expert on China. He has recently appeared on
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
,
C-SPAN,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. He has been featured in ''
'' magazine and numerous other publications. Li is also a columnist for the
''. He is a regular speaker and participant at the Bilderberg Conference.
* ''21st Century International Review'', member, editorial board
* Asia Policy, member, editorial board
* ''
, columnist
* China's Rising Leaders Project, National Bureau of Asian Research, co-chair, advisory committee
*
, member, board of directors
* ''The China Report'', India, member, editorial board
* Thornton Center Chinese Thinkers Series, principal editor (ongoing)
* ''Middle Class Shanghai Reshaping U.S.-China Engagement'' (2021)
* ''The Power of Ideas: The Rising Influence of Thinkers and Think Tanks in China'' (2017)
* ''Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era: Reassessing Collective Leadership'' (2016)
* ''China's Political Development: Chinese and American Perspectives ''(2014, co-author)
* ''The Political Mapping of China’s Tobacco Industry and Anti-Smoking Campaign'' (2012)
* ''The Road to Zhongnanhai: High-Level Leadership Groups on the Eve of the 18th Party Congress'' (in Chinese, 2012)
* ''China's Emerging Middle Class: Beyond Economic Transformation ''(2010, ed.)
* ''China's Changing Political Landscape: Prospects for Democracy'' (2008)
* ''Bridging Minds Across the Pacific: The Sino-U.S. Educational Exchange 1978-2003'' (2005)
* ''China's Leaders: The New Generation'' (2001)
* ''Rediscovering China: Dynamics and Dilemmas of Reform'' (1997)
Li is also the author or the editor of numerous books, including
*''China's Leaders: The New Generation'' (2001)
*''Bridging Minds Across the Pacific: The Sino-U.S. Educational Exchange 1978-2003'' (2005)
*''China's Changing Political Landscape: Prospects for Democracy'' (2008)
*''China's Emerging Middle Class: Beyond Economic Transformation'' (2010)
*''The Road to Zhongnanhai: High-Level Leadership Groups on the Eve of the 18th Party Congress'' (in Chinese, 2012)
*''The Political Mapping of China's Tobacco Industry and Anti-Smoking Campaign'' (2012)
*''Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era: Reassessing Collective Leadership'' (2016)
*''The Power of Ideas: The Rising Influence of Thinkers and Think Tanks in China'' (2017)
*''Middle Class Shanghai: Pioneering China's Global Integration'' (Manuscript)
He is the principal editor of the Thornton Center Chinese Thinkers Series published by the
Press.