Modern China

This textbook, by two outstanding scholars of China, presents an authoritative overview of Chinese history from 1644, the beginning of China's last dynasty, until the present day. The authors' knowledge of China's neighboring countries enables them to provide a sensitive introduction to the region’s culture. They combine a broad survey with a careful examination of important primary sources. The authors are known not only for their general historical sweep but also for their special knowledge as careful military historians. -- Ezra F. Vogel, Harvard University
This book is an excellent introduction to China’s modern history, from the beginning of the Qing dynasty in 1644 through today. Well written and admirably paced, it provides perspectives absent from other Chinese history textbooks as the authors focus on the centrality of warfare to China’s history, a topic not often treated with the attention it deserves. With a global perspective, it places the recent past and the twentieth century in a deeper context of dynastic power and imperial expansion. -- Tonio Andrade, Emory University
No other textbook synthesizes Western perspectives of Chinese political and comparative history as skillfully and as simply as Elleman and Paine have done. Highly readable and engaging, their narrative is filled with a veritable wealth of maps, timelines, photographs, and cultural highlights that add immense interest and clarity to complex subjects. Modern China is above all a student-friendly guide to understanding China’s position in the global arena today in light of its long and eventful history. -- Carol H. Shiue, University of Colorado Boulder
Modern China is a feat and a treat: it is a feat of decades of careful thinking and intense scholarship about the course of Chinese history, and it is a treat because of its clarity of presentation. This survey, meant for students with no prior knowledge of Chinese history, is unapologetically but sensibly comparative. Unlike most other surveys, it does not fall to the temptation to shirk detail; events are carefully contextualized, thus making it a valuable reference work for students and even specialists who need a refresher. It is unique in paying due regard to the Russian dimension. At a time when the need to know China's historical trajectory has never been greater, this is the perfect introduction. -- Hans van de Ven, University of Cambridge
In this updated edition of Modern China, Bruce Elleman and S. C. M. Paine have produced a serious book written in a breezy, almost conversational style. Focusing on the concept of ‘culture,’ aimed toward a general audience, and informed by an attunement to the historical importance of military affairs, this book will serve as a valuable reference for anyone interested in the broad patterns of modern Chinese history as well as many of its particulars. -- Richard J. Smith, Rice University