Anyone trying to understand the general means of political economy development, China's remarkable accomplishment is an exceptionally - and only - case study. As importantly, China's success holds solutions on how to make economies and policies more effective. So, how was China so successful? How did China proceed to achieve such an unprecedented historical achievement? How did it accomplish its remarkable economic transformation? How can a country over a billion people grow so fast, for so long? What made it happen? There may be cultural and/or ideological obstacles to pass, but it is in everyone's interest to understand China. To answer these questions, this essay, based on a compilation of Chinese official documents, proposes three main themes: introduction to the state institutions, an overview of the economic model and a selection of national policies. As socialism with Chinese characteristics is now a new model claiming world attention, may this contribution add a little step in the improvement and comprehension of the Chinese model.