Description
Book SynopsisIn 1644, the Manchus, a relatively unknown people inhabiting China's northeastern frontier, overthrew the Ming, Asia's mightiest rulers, and established the Qing dynasty, This book supplies a radically new perspective on the formative period of the modern Chinese nation.
Trade Review"This book is the most interesting history ever written of the Manchus in Chinese life, and one of the most important contributions to Qing studies in the last decade. . . . It is engagingly, even elegantly written, with enviable clarity and nice touches of ironic humor."—Timothy Brook, University of Toronto
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The Manchu Way] will be important reading not only for all historians of China but for all students of the history of the early modern world. Formidable in its learning, it is very lucidly written, makes its arguments clearly, and is full of vivid descriptions and quotations."—
American Historical Review"By examining the details of garrison life, using extensive archival materials written only in Manchu, Elliot draws an insiders' picture of their world. . . . Elliot offers a rich fund of material and a new and powerful argument that is vital reading for anyone interested in the transition from empire to nation around the world."—
The Journal of Interdisciplinary History"This is a wide-ranging and innovative book. Furthermore, it is written in a lively, accessible style . . . .It will also be stimulating for readers interested in ethnicity, identity, and the creation of empires. Overall, it is undoubtedly a scholarly achievement of the highest order."—
History Today"The current volume, an expansion and recasting of the dissertation, contributes to the ongoing shift in our understanding of the Qing period by providing much-needed empirical grounding as well as valuable new insights. [Mark Elliot's] book serves simultaneously as historical ethnography, institutional history, and an essay on the role of ethnicity in Qing history."—
Harvard Review of Asiatic Studies
