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Book recommendation - C20 Chinese history?


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Posted

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!

Posted

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.

Posted

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.

Posted

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. :)

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