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The Wobbling Pivot, China since 1800

An Interpretive History

Pamela Kyle Crossley author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Published:5th Feb '10

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The Wobbling Pivot, China since 1800 cover

This comprehensive but concise narrative of China since the eighteenth century builds its story around the delicate relationship between central government and local communities.

  • Rejects the traditional view of China as a wholly harmonious society based on principles of stability – the Unwobbling Pivot of Ezra Pound's translation of the Chinese classic Zhongyong
  • Provides an original interpretation, arguing that developments can be explained through an understanding of China’s surprising swings between centralization and decentralization, between local initiative and central authoritarianism
  • Serves as an introduction to the subject, while readers with a background in Chinese history will find the book offers a personal perspective and addresses long-standing interpretive issues
  • Supported by a variety of timelines, maps, illustrations, and extensive notes for further reading
  • Places China’s history within the context of global change

“Finding a fresh angle to a familiar story is a challenge, one that this book has dealt with creatively and convincingly.”  (English Historical Review, 1 June 2014

"[A] lively survey ... .It sheds considerable light on contemporary Chinese dilemmas." (Shanghaiist, December 2010)

"As a textbook, The Wobbling Pivot is accessible, complete and readable, and as a synthesis of twentieth century Chinese history, it is both original and provocative, and a valuable introduction to the perennial issues that China poses in the undergraduate classroom.”  (The China Quarterly, 1 September 2012)

ISBN: 9781405160797

Dimensions: 254mm x 180mm x 24mm

Weight: 735g

328 pages