Description
Book SynopsisChinese Asianism analyzes Chinese views of East Asian solidarity in light of Chinese nationalism and Sino–Japanese relations. Advocates of Asianism packaged Asia for their own agendas, often by translating and interpreting Japanese perspectives. As China now plays a central role in East Asian development, Asianism is once again of great importance.
Trade ReviewIn the twenty-first century, we cannot think about the future of Asianism without turning to the rise of China. Craig A. Smith’s book makes a serious contribution by exploring the genealogy of Chinese Asianism…His book provides an excellent history of Asianism up to World War II, which is important for understanding attempts to revise Asianism by scholars such as Takeuchi Yoshimi in the postwar period, and helps us to understand the resurgence of China-centered narratives of Asia in the present. -- Viren Murthy * The China Journal *
The first English-language monograph focusing on Asianist conceptions held by Chinese thinkers, writers and politicians…Smith’s book makes an important contribution to our understanding of how Asianism influenced China–Japan relations in the first half of the 20th century…Highly recommended to everyone interested in Chinese intellectual and political history, China–Japan and China–Asia relations. -- Torsten Weber * China Quarterly *
The biggest contribution of Dr. Smith’s new book,
Chinese Asianism, 1894–1945, is treating Asianism as a product of the dialogue between Chinese and Japanese intellectuals against the backdrop of the global trend of internationalism and pan movements…The author meets the challenge of presenting a balanced picture of an intellectual movement which had once involved many prominent politicians and intellectuals of the late nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century but which has been stigmatized since the end of World War II due to its association with Japanese imperialism. -- Yue Due * China Review International *
