"Carefully wrought, Le's book tracks the elite-level debates on structural reform in a textured and well-documented way. Indispensable for scholars of the subject." —Marc Blecher, Oberlin College What is the source of Xi Jinping’s power in China? How did he gain the elite’s support as he took the Communist Party down a conservative path? Lin Le finds answers by dissecting the ongoing struggle between reformists and conservatives across some two decades. His revisionist narrative of China’s political history since the early 2000s provides a new perspective on Xi’s rise, revealing paths not taken, battles fought behind closed doors, and fierce contestation behind the facade of elite unity.