The Wobbling Pivot: China Since 1800

摘要

With each passing decade, it becomes harder to write a history of modern China. The problem is not merely the accumulation of events, but the proliferation of competing themes. As China seemingly presents a new face to the world in each succeeding decade - as imperialist victim, revolutionary ideologue, pragmatic reformer or energetic entrepreneur - a background must be sought in the recent or not so recent past. The search for modern China is in a sense unending. Pamela Crossley is both honest and straightforward when she writes: "This book has put the pieces of Chinese history since roughly 1800 into a shape that makes sense to me. Nevertheless, I have attempted to supply the reader with sufficient pieces that he or she may rearrange them if the need to create a more sensible shape is felt" (p. ix), and she is as good as her word. The book she has produced is organized around a singular perception of modern Chinese history, but it offers a thorough and engaging narrative that provides the detail necessary for teaching and learning.