Customer Reviews

The Rise of Modern China [5th Edition]

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Now in it's sixth edition, this work bt C.Y. Hsu is still one of the most popular textbooks on this subject in universities across the country. Within its 1000+ pages the book covers the period from the beginning of the Ching dynasty (1644) to 1998. I believe that what separates this book from others on this subject is that instead of focusing primarily on geography, chronology, and names, it attempts to provide a glimpse of the personalities and motivations of the many important figures that emerged during this period. The chapters concerning the years between the decline of the Ching at the turn of the 19th century and the establishment of the PRC in 1949 are extremely well done, and convey a great deal of information about important players of that age such as Sun Yat Sen, Mao, and Chiang Kai Shek. It is a well-researched, well-written book, and a pleasure to read.

I recently took a course on the history of modern China in university, which covered the era spanning from the late Qing to 21st century. Initially I was rather daunted by the size and thickness of this book, but I ended up reading this book 3 times by the end of the course because it was so readable. Immanuel Hsu's analysis is clear and obviously up to par. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is taking a similar course. If you're keen to understand China particularly in the light of current affairs, you need to know about its recent history as well. There is no better place to start than with "The Rise of China" by Immanuel Hsu.

This is the best single-volume history of Modern China that you could own. It covers the history of China from the Ch'ing (Qing) dynasty to the emergence of China as a global superpower at the beginning of the 21st century. Scholarly, yet immensely readable. This work will remain a lasting memorial to Professor Hsü, a preeminent scholar of Modern Chinese History, whom I had the great privilege to know.

Having grown up in mainland China, having read most of the Chinese history books available, and having steeped with all comtemporary arts and media propaganda as well as serious scholar works, I thought that I have a full grasp of the modern Chinese history until I read this book half through, of which I bought the fifth edition several years ago but collecting dust on the book shelf. I could not help to wait the finish of my reading of the whole book but to write this. So far, this is a book I read with such fascination better than reading any book in my life, including those page turner best seller fictions. Originally I picked up to read this book as some kind of obligation to read those books I bought but never opened, following my successes with those Hemingway and Mark Twain, and pessimistically planned to spend the rest of July to finish it, and this was only three days ago and I'm already half through. When I read this book for the past few days, I cannot help to notice the connections between the events in the past and those events more recently. For example, Kang You-Wei's reform and four modernization; Tai Ping Tiang Guo and the lang reform of the 50's; the list goes on. Overall, I highly recommend anyone, especially those of us oversee Chinese from mainland China, to read this book. I will be anxious to know whether any attempt has been made to translate this book into Chinese so that every Chinese could read it. Not knowing the difference between the fifth and the sixth edition, I would offer a suggestion to consider for the seventh edition: to add a list of Chinese for those names used in the text, since it's very hard to remember all the names in the out dated old spelling, in addition to correspond each with the correct Chinese name.

Whether you are studying Chinese history or you're simply interested in China, this book is essential for every library. It is both consumately researched and artfully written.

Asian history doesn't get any better than this!

While Spence's "The Search for Modern China" may be currently the most popular survey of modern Chinese history, Hsu's work is indispensable for the student of wants a deep understanding of China and the Chinese. I was fortunate enough to have studied the material covered with Hsu at Santa Barbara, while he was working on the first edition and still using the then only good English language Asian history by Fairbank (+ others) as a text. While I still have my copy of Fairbank's two volumes, which remain useful for Japan and Southeast Asia, it is to Hsu's text I still refer on matters of Chinese history.

A clear-cut one volume authoritarive account of chinese modern history

It is a very good book, it is very thorough,and factual, it is really critical of Mao. I highly recommend it

Hsu fills in a niche which has remained empty for a long time. Chinese history written by self-styled western experts presents a real challenge for fairness and perspective. In Western eyes, the colonial period is often seen through rose colored glasses and this hampers their ability to present it objectively. With this book we can get a different perspective from someone who has lived the Asian experience from the Asian side. Good work!

I needed a book for my university studies on China, and this was by far the best. It is detailed, sharp and well written. I cannot see much bias either way, or if there is the other side is shown.

A very good treatment on the subject.