Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi [Paperback]

Jonathan D. Spence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1988

A remarkable re-creation of the life of K'ang-hsi, emperor of the Manchu dynasty from 1661-1772, assembled from documents that survived his reign. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Chinese (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (October 22, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067972074X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679720744
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Royalty

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's good to read a non-Western history for a change, June 3, 2001

By 

Jon R. Schlueter (Grand Terrace, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi (Paperback)

In this book, Jonathan Spence has assembled a narrative montage from the fragmentary surviving writings of the ruler of a great nation who lived three hundred years ago and half a world away. In so doing, Spence has crafted a work that reads seamlessly as if it were Emperor K'ang Hsi's own memoirs. Knowing as we do that even democracies frequently fail to produce leaders equal to the task of governance, one is pleasantly amazed when a hereditary ruler proves more than able wisely to govern in an enlightened fashion. In fact, in some ways the emperor comes across as very modern, so that the chapter entitled "Sons", with it's strong supernatural component, strikes one as all the more disturbing -- like finding a skull while perusing beloved family heirlooms. I say this without intended condescension, because the events described in that chapter would be accepted matter-of-factly in many American Christian churches, particularly those with fundamentalist or charismatic leanings. I don't pretend to bring any deep historical/philosophical erudition to my consideration of this book, but I think that any book that illuminates the life of a great man is worth reading, and if he has qualities of wisdom and humility, so much the better, and if he lived in a time and place that I had little fore-knowledge of, the book is twice worthy. I highly recommend "Emperor of China".

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Spence's Books, March 25, 2001

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi (Paperback)

This is a very interesting book by the distinguished Yale scholar Jonathan Spence. Spence's approach is often unconventional. He has a written several books in which an important theme of Chinese history is examined by close analysis of a single episode of Chinese history. In this case, Spence's goal is to depict the center of the Chinese political system, the Emperor. Spence accomplishes this goal by editing the writings of an important Qing Emperor, K'ang Hsi, into an autobiographical work. This is daring and surprisingly successful. Spence is careful to show both private and public aspects of K'ang Hsi. A good deal of the success of this book must be attributable to K'ang Hsi himself. Through Spence's careful editing, K'ang Hsi emerges as a vigorous and articulate individual who seems to have had an attractive personality. This book is simultaneously edifying and entertaining.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise!, February 17, 2000

By 

Kevin Lewis "KevinHK" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi (Paperback)

When I picked up my copy of Jonathan Spence's book "Emperor Of China" I imagined it would be a book I SHOULD read and might struggle to keep going about a third in. I was pleasantly surprised! The way Spence has put together the material (16th and 17th century traditional Chinese scholarship) in a colloquial and easy to read manner is almost astonishing. It is more than readable, you can't put it down. The style, Spence says it is "an autobiographical memoir", draws you into the book and also into the mind of the Emperor. I think I've learnt more about the Emperor Kangxi in these 175 pages than I would if I had read a more detailed historical account. The Emperor's wisdom is deep; buy, read, enjoy and re-read!