Imperial China: The Decline of the Last Dynasty and the Origins of Modern China The 18th and 19th Centuries

The China Reader #1

by Franz Schurmann (Editor), Orville Schell (Editor)

A documentary history based on the contemporary accounts and historical examinations selected from the writings of political leaders, literary men, scholars, and journalists. Among those included are John K. Fairbank, Joseph R. Levenson, Francois Quesnay, C.K. Yang, Mary C. Wright, Benjamin Schwartz, Liang Ch'i-ch'ao, and Sir Robert Hart.

Genres: History, China

322 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 1967

Reviews

[Philip]

NOTE: Probably just for hardcore students of the Chinese Nationalist period, which a much younger version of me once was.

[Marc Kirner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book with historical perspectives on the Qing dynasty. I see many parallels with today. Reminds me of the George Santayana quote about "those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. I'm sure others had that same thought down though time, but the statement is attributed to him. Well worth reading except for one section, pp.283-292 an essay by Ben Schwartz. That one was as dry as the West Texas desert.