Description
Book SynopsisFor westerners, China's history is often reduced to a choice between timeless Confucian ideals or incomprehensible barbarisms such as footbinding or mass slaughter, fueled by generalizations such as China has five thousand years of history, China was a Confucian society, Chinese women were victims, China is a communist country, and many more. But China is now too globally important to allow such oversimplifications to continue unchallenged, and this engaging and deeply knowledgeable volume counters them vigorously. In concise and accessible style, the contributors scrutinize a range of historical misconceptions that have ramifications for the present and future of China and its relations with the rest of the world. They consider how misunderstandings have arisen and present more sophisticated and nuanced interpretations. Readers will learn how numerous popular beliefs about China's history are mistaken and what new interpretations can help build the more accurate understandings of pres
Trade ReviewStanden and her collaborators have made an outstanding contribution to the literature on China. Written by prominent authorities but accessible to nonspecialist readers, Demystifying China demolishes longstanding popular misconceptions about many key aspects of Chinese history and culture. A particular strength is that it does not simply engage in debunking but also explains how and why the conventional wisdom took shape and even acknowledges the partial validity of some long-held views. It is ideal reading for introductory courses in Chinese studies and indeed for anyone seeking reliable orientation on this increasingly important subject. -- David A. Graff, Kansas State University; coeditor, Journal of Chinese Military History
Outstanding writers fully grounded in current scholarship have banded together to provide a comprehensive, convincing, yet open view of the complex problems of Chinese history. The authors forsake the easy conventions of previous generations to create a new platform for accessible yet deeply informed discussion of the past three millennia. Tired and unproven generalizations about China's technological and scientific development, its engagement with the sea, the diversities within its culture, and its approach to modernization will no longer satisfy anybody who has read this innovative book. -- Pamela Kyle Crossley, Dartmouth College
This book presents 22 short topical articles, each by a different scholar, intended to dispel misconceptions that becloud understanding of China's long history from antiquity to Tiananmen. Brief, up-to-date suggestions for additional reading appended to each entry add to the value of this volume. Generally, as one would expect of the book's distinguished editor, the entries are well written and authoritative, making this therefore a major resource for anyone teaching broad survey courses or seeking a summary of current thinking on a particular vexing issue. Most of the entries can stand alone, but they are best considered within the context of Chinese history as a whole. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsPreface Rana Mitter Introduction: The Creation of History in China Naomi Standen Part I: Images of an Ancient and United Nation Chapter 1: The Chinese Peter C. Perdue Chapter 2: The Great Wall Peter Lorge Chapter 3: Foreign Conquerors of China Naomi Standen Chapter 4: Confucius: The Key to Understanding China Tim Barrett Part II: Cultural Traditions Chapter 5: The “Decline” of Buddhism in China Tansen Sen Chapter 6: Islam in China Michael Brose Chapter 7: Chinese Medicine Bridie Andrews Chapter 8: Traditional Chinese and the Environment Ling Zhang Chapter 9: Chinese Martial Arts Stanley Henning Chapter 10: Women in Chinese History Clara Wing-chung Ho Part III: Imperial China Chapter 11: China’s Age of Seafaring Ruth Mostern Chapter 12: Civil Service Examinations Elif Akçetin Chapter 13: Xinjiang at the Center Judd Kinzley Chapter 14: Tibet Elliot Sperling Chapter 15: Modern China’s Borders Andres Rodriguez Chapter 16: The Opium War and China’s “Century of Humiliation” Julia Lovell Part IV: Making Modern China Chapter 17: Sun Yat-sen Wasana Wongsurawat Chapter 18: Republican China under the Nationalists, ca. 1925–1945 Felix Boecking Chapter 19: The Rise of the Chinese Communist Party Christian Hess Chapter 20: Simplified Characters Imre Galambos Chapter 21: The One-Child Policy Barbara Mittler Chapter 22: The Cultural Revolution, 1966–1976 Marjorie Dryburgh Chapter 23: China’s Political System Hai Ren Chapter 24: Tiananmen 1989 Fabio Lanza
