He Qinglian, a renowned Chinese economist, is a visiting scholar at Princeton University . In recent years, her research has focused on social and economic issues in modern China . She has conducted in-depth analyses on wealth accumulation in China during the reform period and one the ¡§hidden rule¡¨ of inevitable collusion between government officials and businessmen for economic interest. Her most prominent work, China's Descent into a Quagmire, was first published in Mainland China in 1998. The book became a bestseller in the academic world, over 3 million volumes of the abridged version were sold in Mainland China and the book gained extensive coverage in mainstream media outside of China .

The revised version was published in 2003. Additional chapters and the latest economic data as of July 2003 were incorporated into this new edition.