When Ancients Serve Ideologues

In the opening pages of “Plato Goes to China,” classicist Shadi Bartsch promises that by tracing the history of the Chinese reception of ancient Greek and Roman political philosophy, her book offers “a uniquely illuminating vantage point for observing China’s transformation in its cultural and political self-confidence.” She further promises to explore in depth the uses that have been made of the Western classics in the 33 years since the violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement.