Product Description

John King Fairbank was the West's doyen on China, and this book is the full and final expression of his lifelong engagement with this vast ancient civilisation. It remains a masterwork without parallel. The distinguished historian Merle Goldman brings the book up to date, covering reforms in the post-Mao period through the early years of the 21st Century, including the leadership of Hu Jintao. She also provides an epilogue discussing the changes in contemporary China that will shape the nation in the years to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #127705 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

About the Author
John King Fairbank was Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History and Director of the East Asian Research Center at Harvard University. Merle Goldman is Professor Emeritus of Chinese History, Boston University

Customer Reviews

Good solid introduction to Chinese history
This is the revised edition of Fairbank and Goldman's introduction to Chinese history since the Neolithic.

It is neatly divided into 4 sections: (1) The rise and consolidation of the various Chinese empires up to 1660; (2) The late Imperial era, 1600-1911; (3) The Republic of China, 1911-1949 and (4) The PRC (and Taiwan), 1949 to the mid 1990s. An introductory chapter develops the recurrent themes of Chinese history - geography, humanity in nature, village, family, lineage, settlement vs. the steppe etc.

The book is well supported by references for further reading and research.

Overall, I would recommend it for use by advanced undergraduates, exceptional senior high school students, or the well-read general reader.