China today is never out of the news: from human rights controversies and the continued legacy of Tiananmen Square, to global coverage of the Beijing Olympics, and the Chinese 'economic miracle'. It seems a country of contradictions: a peasant society with some of the world's most futuristic cities, heir to an ancient civilization that is still trying to find a modern identity. This Very Short Introduction offers the reader with no previous knowledge of China a variety of ways to understand the world's most populous nation, giving a short, integrated picture of modern Chinese society, culture, economy, politics and art.
Modern China: A Very Short Introduction
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A brilliant essay. Timothy Garton, TLS A perfect overview for level 5 students who are not yet familiar with the workings of China - politically and socially / Clodagh Harrington, De Montfort University
About the Author
Rana Mitter is University Lecturer in the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of St Cross College. He is the author of The Manchurian Myth: Nationalism, Resistance and Collaboration in Modern China, and A Bitter Revolution: China's Struggle with theModern World (OUP, 2004), for which he won the title Times Higher Education Young Academic Author of the Year 2005. The book was also runner-up for the Longman/History Today Book of the Year prize, a finalist for the British Academy Book Prize, and named by Foreign Affairs as one of five "must-read" Notable Books on China. He presents and comments regularly on radio and television, and his reviews and essays have appeared in the Financial Times, History Today, and London Review of Books.
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This assessment comes from the book New China by W. Y. Fullerton and C. E. Wilson. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
This assessment comes from the book New China by W. Y. Fullerton and C. E. Wilson. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Dr. Bojan Tunguz
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Modern China is a fascinating subject in its own right. China, in general, has been one of the most intriguing countries in the world for most of its history. The most populous nation, China is an heir to an ancient civilization that at one point surpassed all the others in the world in terms of cultural and technological achievement. Yet, over the centuries that civilization had fallen behind others and only in recent decades has China started to approach again its erstwhile status of a great power. This raise has been rather gradual, and with many setbacks has taken the better part of the last hundred years. The Modern China is a work in progress, and this very short introduction provides one of the best overviews of this process. The book covers most of the Chinese twentieth century history, and it's noteworthy in that it doesn't see the arrival of the communists in 1949 so much as a clean break from the past as a continuation of the previous attempts at modernization by the Nationalists and their predecessors. The communist rule is also approached more critically, somewhat downplaying the extent of the most egregious years of the Cultural Revolution, and emphasizing the discontinuities within the Communist regime and its policies. In particular, the author argues that some of the economic advances in the recent years can be traced to the set of reforms that started in the late 70s.
One of the strengths of this book is the attention that it pays to the cultural as well as technological and economic advances. Since most people in the West are at least somewhat familiar with some of the most prominent recent Chinese cinematographic achievements, this provides an accessible connection to the cultural trends in China these days.... Read more ›
One of the strengths of this book is the attention that it pays to the cultural as well as technological and economic advances. Since most people in the West are at least somewhat familiar with some of the most prominent recent Chinese cinematographic achievements, this provides an accessible connection to the cultural trends in China these days.... Read more ›
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By D. J. Simons
Format:Paperback
China is rapidly mounting headlines of late and it's currently rumored by Economists and other analysts that it is on the verge of becoming a new world superpower rivaling the USA.
Because of such talk I picked up the book. I knew nothing about China. Nothing about its complicated history, its society, the evolution and nature of Chinese Communism, and so on and so forth.
This book is a good start. It guides you through the subject matter and the author - Rana Mitter - knows his stuff.
In fact my only gripe with the book is the way it is arranged and divided up. He splits the book into about 5 chapters. The first two set it up, then you get 3 concise analyses of China's economy, society and culture, and a one and a half page conclusion.
The conclusion was very abrupt and I felt like there should be more to know (particularly about China's political make-up) but when you think about it - the book has succeeded in its purpose of providing a 'very short introduction' to the subject and given me incentive to research further. I am now about to read Spence's Search for Modern China, and am looking into the further readings that Mitter has suggested at the end of the book.
A satisfying piece.
Because of such talk I picked up the book. I knew nothing about China. Nothing about its complicated history, its society, the evolution and nature of Chinese Communism, and so on and so forth.
This book is a good start. It guides you through the subject matter and the author - Rana Mitter - knows his stuff.
In fact my only gripe with the book is the way it is arranged and divided up. He splits the book into about 5 chapters. The first two set it up, then you get 3 concise analyses of China's economy, society and culture, and a one and a half page conclusion.
The conclusion was very abrupt and I felt like there should be more to know (particularly about China's political make-up) but when you think about it - the book has succeeded in its purpose of providing a 'very short introduction' to the subject and given me incentive to research further. I am now about to read Spence's Search for Modern China, and am looking into the further readings that Mitter has suggested at the end of the book.
A satisfying piece.
By B. Smith
Format:Paperback
The author does a pukka job of explaining the modern situation of this often enigmatic nation. Though Chinese characters look almost magical and mysterious to many Westerners they are usually about mundane things such as washing powder and the latest gossip. This book helps to demystify China and shows that the Chinese are not so very different from the rest of us. All in all an excellent little book to help understand China.
By way of contrast I suggest reading Chinese Sketches: Life in 19th Century China as it will show how China has changed in the last hundred years or so.
By way of contrast I suggest reading Chinese Sketches: Life in 19th Century China as it will show how China has changed in the last hundred years or so.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Bateman
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I would strongly recommend not buying this book as an introduction to Chinese history. The narrative was dry, pretentious and lacked any meaningful structure. Having spent four years at university studying history I can safely say that this is a fine example of how to turn people off of history. Primary material would have made this book a great deal more interesting; this book may be ok in the eyes of academics, but as an 'introduction' to the topic, it is bland and I couldn't finish it.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By EYEMAN
Format:Paperback
A very readable and first class introduction to China.I would thoroughly recommend this book as a starting point to a more detailed study of this fascinating country.
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