Places China's history within the context of global ch
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“Finding a fresh angle to a familiar story is a challenge, one that this book has dealt with creatively and convincingly.” (English Historical Review, 1 June 2014
"As a textbook, The Wobbling Pivot is accessible, complete and readable, and as a synthesis of twentieth century Chinese history, it is both original and provocative, and a valuable introduction to the perennial issues that China poses in the undergraduate classroom.” (The China Quarterly, 1 September 2012)
"[A] lively survey ... .It sheds considerable light on contemporary Chinese dilemmas." (Shanghaiist, December 2010)
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations vii
List of Maps viii
Foreword and Acknowledgments ix
Prelude xi
Timeline xv
1 The Wobbling Pivot 1
2 Sources of Order Under the Qing Empire 21
3 Sources of Disorder Under the Qing Empire 44
4 Essay: Strategic Borders 66
5 Qing and the World 70
6 Essay: Rebel Heroines 98
7 Visionaries 100
8 Essay: Hunan Takes the Lead 126
9 Essay: Water 129
10 Beiyang Ascendancy 133
11 Cultural Revolution 155
12 Essay: Manchus as Minorities 177
13 War 180
14 The Ubiquitous Center 207
15 Essay: Minerals 240
16 Essay: Health Risks 243
17 Gravity 246
Bibliography 274
Index 295
