This lavishly illustrated volume explores the history of China during a period of dramatic shifts and surprising transformations, from the founding of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) through to the present day. The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China promises to be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this rising superpower on the verge of what promises to be the 'Chinese century', introducing readers to important but often overlooked events in China's past, such as the bloody Taiping Civil War (1850-1864), which had a death toll far higher than the roughly contemporaneous American Civil War. It also helps readers see more familiar landmarks in Chinese history in new ways, such as the Opium War (1839-1842), the Boxer Uprising of 1900, the rise to power of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, and the Tiananmen protests and Beijing Massacre of 1989. This is one of the first major efforts - and in many ways the most ambitious to date - to come to terms with the broad sweep of modern Chinese history, taking readers from the origins of modern China right up through the dramatic events of the last few years (the Beijing Games, the financial crisis, and China's rise to global economic pre-eminence) which have so fundamentally altered Western views of China and China's place in the world.
Jeffrey Wasserstrom: Introduction 1: Anne Gerritsen: From Late Ming to High Qing, 1550-1792 2: Stephen R. Platt: New Domestic and Global Challenges, 1792-1860 3: Robert Bickers: Restoration and reform, 1860-1900 4: Peter Zarrow: Felling a Dynasty, Founding a Republic 5: James Carter: The Rise of Nationalism and Revolutionary Parties, 1919-1937 6: Rana Mitter: The War Years, 1937-1949 7: S. A. Smith: The Early Years of the People's Republic, 1950-1964 8: Richard Curt Kraus: The Cultural Revolution Era, 1964-1976 9: Timothy Cheek: Reform and Rebuilding, 1976-1988 10: Jeffrey Wasserstrom and Kate Merkel-Hess: Tiananmen and Its Aftermath, 1989-1999 11: William A. Callahan: China Rising, 2000-2010 12: Ian Johnson: The Presence of the Past - A Coda Timeline Further Reading Index
Reviews for The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China
This finely crafted volume has much to offer to readers, no matter how familiar they are with modern Chinese history ... the wealth of images together with the rich chapters make this history of modern China one of a kind. Jennifer Altehenger, History Today An excellent introduction to the history of modern China for the general reader and student alike ... The illustrations are excellent and help to bring the text to life with further colour (in both senses of the word) and detail. I am sure it will prove popular with students and the general public alike. Tim Chamberlain, LSE Review of Books the best place to start for those who wish to get a handle on modern China. Asian Review of Books
