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Departing from the dynastic structure typical of other histories, Valerie Hansen charts the broad social changes that transcend the artificial chronological boundaries of dynasties, enriching her narrative with discussions of everyday life in the distant past. Peopling the pages are nobles, peasants, women, students, writers, and rebels--all offering their own distinct and colorful perspective. Illuminating the many ways in which Chinese society has been influenced by foreign cultures, The Open Empire depicts China as a country with a dynamic, open history.
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12 reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
best overview yet
22 Dec 2005
Format:Paperback
As more and more people discover that China is going to be part of their future, a book like this becomes all the more precious. In my 15 years of groping to understand Chinese civilization, this is the single most insightful work of general history I have found. Valerie Hansen has a genius for condensing large subjects in deft strokes. In the process she answers in advance the kinds of questions I as a Western reader want to raise myself, whether the subject be oracle-bone divination or foot-binding.
The work of synthesis here is impressive for the consistency with which it improves on the clichés of Chinese historiography by incorporating the latest findings. Also she makes sure to include snapshots of the life of families and the place of women, long ignored in standard histories. For example, when she wants to shows how some oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty record negative outcomes, she chooses the birth of a daughter to Lady Hao, explicitly identified in the original divination record as unfavorable. That allows us to see in passing that the Chinese preference for sons has been in place for at least 3000 years.
In addition the author improves on conventional histories by focusing attention on the "interregnum" periods between major dynasties. Her point is well taken that these periods, though they do not produce major monuments, contribute importantly to the way the Chinese way of life evolved.
Professional sinologists may well complain that she simplifies matters that are still open to dispute among experts, but a well informed overview of Chinese history is justified in making reasonable guesses concerning elements still under dispute. An example concerns the Song Dynasty scroll called "Springtime on the River" (Qing Ming Shang He Tu). Art historians are still arguing about when it dates from between the late 11th and late 12th centuries. Valerie Hansen places it near the end of this range, at around 1186, suggesting that this visual celebration of Kaifeng city life was painted about half a century after this capital city was destroyed by barbarian invasion in 1127, hence that be read as nostalgia than as "realism." In the long run, she could be shown to be wrong, but this fresh reading deserves to be taken into account.
A less contentious example involves her pages on the origins of foot-binding. These are the best I have ever read for succinctness and suggestive placement in the larger context of Chinese life around the year 1000. Valerie Hansen offers the Western reader a way of understanding now only how it worked, but how such a cruel custom could grow under the conditions of Song China when well-brought-up women were newly obliged to compete with courtesans and prostitutes for the attention and affection of men.
I would be delighted if Valerie Hansen would extend her work of synthesis to include China since 1600, a period with so many confusing assessments in circulation that her genius for credible overview would be most welcome. That may be unlikely given that her research concentrates on earlier China, but no other book of 400 pages does so well in summing up 3000 years of Chinese history to 1600.
The work of synthesis here is impressive for the consistency with which it improves on the clichés of Chinese historiography by incorporating the latest findings. Also she makes sure to include snapshots of the life of families and the place of women, long ignored in standard histories. For example, when she wants to shows how some oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty record negative outcomes, she chooses the birth of a daughter to Lady Hao, explicitly identified in the original divination record as unfavorable. That allows us to see in passing that the Chinese preference for sons has been in place for at least 3000 years.
In addition the author improves on conventional histories by focusing attention on the "interregnum" periods between major dynasties. Her point is well taken that these periods, though they do not produce major monuments, contribute importantly to the way the Chinese way of life evolved.
Professional sinologists may well complain that she simplifies matters that are still open to dispute among experts, but a well informed overview of Chinese history is justified in making reasonable guesses concerning elements still under dispute. An example concerns the Song Dynasty scroll called "Springtime on the River" (Qing Ming Shang He Tu). Art historians are still arguing about when it dates from between the late 11th and late 12th centuries. Valerie Hansen places it near the end of this range, at around 1186, suggesting that this visual celebration of Kaifeng city life was painted about half a century after this capital city was destroyed by barbarian invasion in 1127, hence that be read as nostalgia than as "realism." In the long run, she could be shown to be wrong, but this fresh reading deserves to be taken into account.
A less contentious example involves her pages on the origins of foot-binding. These are the best I have ever read for succinctness and suggestive placement in the larger context of Chinese life around the year 1000. Valerie Hansen offers the Western reader a way of understanding now only how it worked, but how such a cruel custom could grow under the conditions of Song China when well-brought-up women were newly obliged to compete with courtesans and prostitutes for the attention and affection of men.
I would be delighted if Valerie Hansen would extend her work of synthesis to include China since 1600, a period with so many confusing assessments in circulation that her genius for credible overview would be most welcome. That may be unlikely given that her research concentrates on earlier China, but no other book of 400 pages does so well in summing up 3000 years of Chinese history to 1600.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Curious Reader
21 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
I highly recommend reading this book for one reason: it is not the standard view that has been presented in most Chinese History textbooks. Thinking about the differences and reflecting upon them could be a valuable use of time. Often textbooks on history are written from a certain perspective without considering many other views. Hansen has given us many ideas to discuss. I do not suggest reading this book quickly. Comparing it to a standard text on Chinese History would also benefit the reader. Hansen asks lots of questions and raises many issues. When dynasties fall and new ones rise, new books on the past history are commissioned. How objective or complete are they? Thank you, Professor Hansen. I will be buying your next publication for sure not because I want to learn "the truth" but because I want to question my perception of the truth that has been given to me.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A fresh view of China
29 Jun 2001
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a great book for any sinophile. While the great bulk of it is familiar to anyone who's read Chinese history with any attention, it also includes material due to recent archaeological work, for example the tomb of a Qin dynasty official. The Qin dynasty has been excoriated for millenia because of its harsh treatment of the Confucians and their books. But the laws found in this official's tomb show that, at least on paper, the Qin's laws were not appreciably harsher than those of subsequent dynasties. It reminds you of the famous dictum that history is written by the winners, in this case the succeeding Han dynasty. The discussion of the painting of Yang Guifei's sisters is a priceless little vignette of its own. Every one who's read Chinese history or poetry has heard of Yang Guifei, China's Helen of Troy. But this painting of her sisters conveys a great deal of information about Yang and about Chinese women in general. I can't help wondering if this book's title is a reference to Peyrefitte's book "The Immobile Empire", an account of George MacCartney's mission to China in 1790.
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