Modern China: A Guide to a Century of Change

By Graham Hutchings

Book Overview

In the new millennium all eyes are on China, which many believe has the potential in the near future to rise to world prominence as a political leader and an economic powerhouse. Yet several aspects of Chinese society remain an obstacle to internal growth and of deep concern to the outside world. In Modern China Graham Hutchings offers a timely and useful reference guide to the people, places, ideas, and events crucial to an understanding of this rising power. The focus is on society and politics and their impact on both China and the world. After an introduction that discusses key themes in twentieth-century China, Hutchings provides over two hundred insightful short essays, arranged alphabetically, that cover central figures and events from Sun Yat-sen to Jiang Zemin and the Boxer Rebellion to Tiananmen Square. Included are separate entries on each province, the current political leadership, and the two colonies recently returned to Chinese control, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as trenchant essays on subjects that remain sensitive within and controversial outside China, such as religion, ethnic minorities, Tibet, Taiwan, and human rights. Accessible and authoritative, Modern China is invaluable for anyone interested in the transformation of this ancient land into a modern power.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674006585
• ISBN13: 9780674006584
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Terrific guide and wonderful information

I bought this book because I have had the good fortune to work on a number of teams at the b-school with a number of students from China. It seemed to me that I could benefit from knowing more about the China of today rather than the Red China I grew up with.The value of this book can best be described by the reaction of the Chinese students to it. They couldn't put it down. They flipped from topic to topic and talked about it with each other and with me. They praised the articles the book contains.It isn't a narrative. It is a series of articles on important topics and arranged alphabetically. It contains many valuable maps, photos, and diagrams. You can dive in the book anywhere and jump around to find things that interest you and just enjoy this book over and over again. Well done!

First-rate

This is a first-rate guidebook to the politics and economy of China in the 21st Century. From the Boxer Rebellion to the return of Hong Kong, here is the entire drama of modern China in a useful and readable dictionary format. Hutchings describes the country province-by-province, giving the reader insight into lesser-known areas of the country.