Get ready for China's domination of science
newscientist.com
newscientist.com
Point of disagreement: "science" includes social science, particularly economics, and it is not at all clear that China's current political situation is congenial to further advances in precisely the "softer" sciences more connected to human behavior that are likely to be the big areas of advancement in the free world in coming years. As biology, sociology, economics, and other disciplines all harden up as they become more mathematically rigorous, China will be hobbled in advancing in those disciplines (compared to the West or to India) by scientists having to follow the party line on many issues of social policy.
Can you give a name or two? From my experience Chinese versions are often less well written than some American ones. And some of the best Mathematics textbook are Soviet Russia version
I agree with you that mathematics textbooks from the Soviet Union are often excellent. I use two of those in my own supplemental math classes,
Mathematics 6 by Enn R. Nurk and Aksel E. Telgmaa
http://www.perpendicularpress.com/math6.html
(currently out of print, as explained on the webpage, as the second English edition is being prepared)
and
Algebra by Israel Gelfand and Alexander Shen.
http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-Israel-M-Gelfand/dp/0817636773
Both are full of interesting problems and expect learners to be smart. I particularly like Gelfand's views on mathematics education:
"I would like to make one comment here. Some of my American colleagues have explained to me that American students are not really accustomed to thinking and working hard, and for this reason we must make the material as attractive as possible. Permit me to not completely agree with this opinion. From my long experience with young students all over the world, I know that they are curious and inquisitive and I believe that if they have some clear material presented in a simple form, they will prefer this to all artificial means of attracting their attention--much as one buys books for their content and not for their dazzling jacket designs that engage only for the moment. The most important thing a student can get from the study of mathematics is the attainment of a higher intellectual level."
The late professor Gelfand was optimistic--based on long experience--that many learners can attain a higher intellectual level in mathematics, perhaps because of his flexibility as a teacher: "Students have no shortcomings, they have only peculiarities. The job of a teacher is to turn these peculiarities into advantages."
FTFY