The Mainland version was adopted from the Hong Kong translation, but was subject several minor changes due to censorship; most of the changes were centered on negative descriptions or adjectives describing Chinese leaders.

[3] John Knight, a PhD candidate stated that the book "provides much insight into" Deng and that "for those interested in learning more about China's present, Vogel's study is a delightful read.

John Pomfret wrote in The Washington Post that Vogel "clearly believes that Deng — known in the West mostly for engineering the slaughter of protesters in the streets near Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989 — has been wronged by history.

He also critiqued the book for exaggerating the significance of certain events, such as Deng’s "universally forgotten" 1974 speech at the United Nations.

[2] The book received the Lionel Gelber Prize, a literary award for excellency in literature related to foreign policy.