Shelley Rigger (Davidson College), Bruce Dickson (George Washington University), Richard Haddock (George Washington University East Asia National Resource Center)

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies will host Dr. Shelley Rigger to launch her new book, The Tiger Leading the Dragon: How Taiwan Propelled China’s Economic Rise as the sixth edition of the 2021 New Books in Asian Studies series. This event will also feature Bruce Dickson, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at GW, as a discussant, and Richard Haddock, Program Associate at the East Asia National Resource Center, as a moderator. Dr. Rigger’s new book discusses how the once-secretive, isolated People’s Republic of China became the factory to the world. Dr. Rigger convincingly demonstrates that the answer is Taiwan. The Tiger Leading the Dragon traces the development of the cross-Taiwan Strait economic relationship and explores how Taiwanese firms and individuals transformed Chinese business practices. It also reveals their contributions to Chinese consumer behavior, philanthropy, religion, popular culture, and law.