Book recommendation - C20 Chinese history?

[Sparky]

Hey, y'all,

 

What is a good, introductory book on twentieth-century Chinese history? I asked a couple people in my department and got a list of, like, thirty bricks. I'd love to, but, you know.

 

I am interested in learning about primarily post-WW2/PRC era. Undergrad textbook-type stuff is not preferable, but is okay. I'd love something that centers on social and/or cultural history but has enough context for orientation for a complete beginner, if that's possible. (If not, bring on the politics!)

 

I stress again "beginner." Pretty much everything I know about Chinese history involves Mongols or Jesuits.

 

Thanks!

[hj2012]

Jonathan Spence's The Search for Modern China is the size of two bricks, and goes from late Ming to the 1990s. In my opinion, it is a wonderfully written overview of modern Chinese history, providing historical contextualization for the events of the 20th century. 

 

Disclaimer: I read Lieberthal's Governing China in an undergrad course, but I think it's a great introduction to the political history of the PRC.

[Hanyuye]

thank you hj

[kdavid]

I concur that Spence's work is the seminal introduction; hence its "brick" status.

 

If you're looking for background on the Qing, I'd recommend William Rowe's "China's Last Dynasty."

 

Re: Lieberthal's book, I'm not sure if there's a more recent revised edition, but the first edition was published in 1995 and second in 2004. I'd imagine quite a bit has changed in the last two decades.

 

In addition to these, I'd also recommend Jeffrey Wasserstrom's "China in the 21st Century What Everyone Needs to Know." It's a short read which answers all the basic questions you need to know to be familiar with China's recent history.

[Sparky]

Thanks, hj and kdavid! My school's library has been useful on all fronts. Now I can get on feeling like less of an ignoramus.