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中国纵横 : 一个汉学家的学术探索之旅
这本书当中收录的是史景迁最有代表性的论文，反映了他尽可能精确、公正和透彻地思考中国的努力。内容分为五个部分：中西文化交流、儒家理论和国家权力、中国的社会历史、革命中国，以及恩师的介绍。书名叫做《中国纵横》，部分源自作者对诗人华莱士·史蒂文斯的敬意，因为他喜欢“纵横”这个词语，它寓意着曲折而不失目的性，还寓意着以某种逻辑来厘清“辐辏并进”之脉络的努力。
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Jonathan D. Spence
64 books319 followersJonathan D. Spence is a historian specializing in Chinese history. His self-selected Chinese name is Shǐ Jǐngqiān (simplified Chinese: 史景迁; traditional Chinese: 史景遷), which roughly translates to "A historian who admires Sima Qian."
He has been Sterling Professor of History at Yale University since 1993. His most famous book is The Search for Modern China, which has become one of the standard texts on the last several hundred years of Chinese history.
He has been Sterling Professor of History at Yale University since 1993. His most famous book is The Search for Modern China, which has become one of the standard texts on the last several hundred years of Chinese history.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 2, 2021
What a perfect time (another Covid lockdown) to read a collection of essays by one of the most renowned sinologists. Curling up with this book was a wonderful way to escape into my favourite world--Chinese studies. It was like opening a new box of chocolates where one immediately knows which will be tasted first and which saved to be savoured last (for me, it was the first and last sections--there are five: Crossing the Cultures, the Confucian Impulse, Sinews of Society, After the Empire, and Teachers). Almost unfathomable that a collection of pre-published essays published nearly 30 years ago would still be timely (this anthology was published in 1992), it was a delightful surprise to find the only staleness was the occasional appearance of Wade-Giles, which dredged up those awful memories of my student days having to learn both transcription systems (WG, as it was known, and Pinyin).
Spence studied under Arthur Wright, Arthur Waley, John Fairbank, and Fang Chao-ying; the first three I knew only from their work, and Fang Chao-ying not at all, so all four essays were like finding yourself seated next to one of your academic idols at a dinner party. I loved getting a peek into their lives, work and idiosyncrasies. I thought I 'knew' Wright better than Waley, but discovered the opposite to be true. If you are familiar with any of these scholars, read these essays for their stories alone.
The six tales in 'Crossing the Cultures' covered the Paris years of Arcadio Huang whom I had never heard of before but came to be fascinated by the story of his rise in Paris society as the Chinese assistant in the king's library. The name Mendes Pinto is known to all students of Chinese history as the Portuguese traveller of the mid-1500s, and having read only excerpts from his "huge, rambling manuscript" decided, after Spence's essay, that I really should try to find a copy of The Travels of Mendes Pinto edited and translated by Rebecca D. Catz (Chicago, U. of Chicago Press, 1990). Incidentally, several of these essays were book reviews previously published in the New York Review of Books. Mid-way through the essay on Matteo Ricci, I realised I had read it previously, in the 1998 volume East Meets West: The Jesuits in China, 1582-1773 = 東西交流 : 耶穌会士在中國西紀1582年-1773年, but that didn't spoil a re-read at all. I had come across the name Sidney D. Gamble previously, and the essay on 'Gamble in China' introduced an individual I would have liked to have known more of earlier in my studies, a sentiment I suspect many others will share upon reading of his work and viewing a handful of his photographs reproduced in the book.
'Sinews of Society' consisted of essays on food, medicine, taxes and opium, all of which provide a good introduction to the topics and are what we like to call 'evergreen'. But actually, almost all of these essays are evergreen or at least significant portions, so do not let the publication date of 1992 deter you, but then I doubt that would stop anyone who has read Spence's major works on China. It is the fact that this book has been sitting on my bookshelf for nearly three decades unread before now that amazes me. If you have such a gem hiding on your shelves, what are you waiting for?
Spence studied under Arthur Wright, Arthur Waley, John Fairbank, and Fang Chao-ying; the first three I knew only from their work, and Fang Chao-ying not at all, so all four essays were like finding yourself seated next to one of your academic idols at a dinner party. I loved getting a peek into their lives, work and idiosyncrasies. I thought I 'knew' Wright better than Waley, but discovered the opposite to be true. If you are familiar with any of these scholars, read these essays for their stories alone.
The six tales in 'Crossing the Cultures' covered the Paris years of Arcadio Huang whom I had never heard of before but came to be fascinated by the story of his rise in Paris society as the Chinese assistant in the king's library. The name Mendes Pinto is known to all students of Chinese history as the Portuguese traveller of the mid-1500s, and having read only excerpts from his "huge, rambling manuscript" decided, after Spence's essay, that I really should try to find a copy of The Travels of Mendes Pinto edited and translated by Rebecca D. Catz (Chicago, U. of Chicago Press, 1990). Incidentally, several of these essays were book reviews previously published in the New York Review of Books. Mid-way through the essay on Matteo Ricci, I realised I had read it previously, in the 1998 volume East Meets West: The Jesuits in China, 1582-1773 = 東西交流 : 耶穌会士在中國西紀1582年-1773年, but that didn't spoil a re-read at all. I had come across the name Sidney D. Gamble previously, and the essay on 'Gamble in China' introduced an individual I would have liked to have known more of earlier in my studies, a sentiment I suspect many others will share upon reading of his work and viewing a handful of his photographs reproduced in the book.
'Sinews of Society' consisted of essays on food, medicine, taxes and opium, all of which provide a good introduction to the topics and are what we like to call 'evergreen'. But actually, almost all of these essays are evergreen or at least significant portions, so do not let the publication date of 1992 deter you, but then I doubt that would stop anyone who has read Spence's major works on China. It is the fact that this book has been sitting on my bookshelf for nearly three decades unread before now that amazes me. If you have such a gem hiding on your shelves, what are you waiting for?
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September 27, 2007Another good book of Chinese history by my favorite author for that subject.
Recently acquired at the Friends of the Library bookstore for the Laguna Niguel, CA public library.
Recently acquired at the Friends of the Library bookstore for the Laguna Niguel, CA public library.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews