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John King Fairbank
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China: A New History Paperback – May 1, 1998

by John King Fairbank (Author), Merle Goldman (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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There is a newer edition of this item:

The United States and China: Third edition
The United States and China: Third edition
$7.24
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THIS EDITION HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A NEWER EDITION..

The late 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 civilization. This book remains a masterwork without parallel--a concise and authoritative account of China and its people over four millennia. The distinguished historian Merle Goldman has brought the book up to date with a chapter on events in the post-Mao period and a new preface and epilogue. She provides a detailed account of the wide array of changes--social, economic, cultural, and even political--that have taken place in China over the past two decades.

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  1. Print length
    568 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Belknap Press
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0674116739
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0674116733
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
24 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • PV2000
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great buy
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  • James M. Hammond
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Another fascinating history of China. It provides a better understanding of China than most other histories that I have read.
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  • Matthew Ries
    5.0 out of 5 stars A History of One of the World's Most Influential Nation and Culture
    Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2023
    Only Ancient Egypt and India rival the length and development of the near three millennia long development of Chinese civilization, one that for centuries was more advanced than other locations on the Eurasian landmass until suddenly it wasn’t and challenged. China: A New History is the last work by noted historian John King Fairbanks with addition from Merle Goldman covering the post-Mao years to the beginning of the 21st century.

    Covering a 4000-year-old civilization in a total of 455 pages of text, of which only 405 were written by Fairbanks, is a daunting history however Fairbanks quickly develops the threads and themes he will follow throughout the history of a nation and a culture. Barely over half the book is dedicated to the ‘Imperial’ period from the first appearances of the elements that would become then shape Chinese culture to the fall of the Qing dynasty and the rest of the book covering the 20th Century that saw the Republican, Nationalist, and Communist eras. Goldman’s last chapter and epilogue attempts to follow Fairbanks threads and themes though in her own words and style which meshed well. This is not a history the delves into important people until the arrival of Mao, yet those Fairbanks points out and gives significant page space to are connected to the threads and themes. The number of sources and closer we get to our own time means the speed of history slows down, which given the number of pages is understandable but there were some sections of Chinese history I which Fairbanks would have given more time to.

    China: A New History is the masterpiece of noted historian John King Fairbanks with a well written addition by Merle Goldman bringing the nation’s history up to the 21st Century. Given the amount of time needed to be covered and the number of pages its down in, it’s a fantastic history.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Allan Craven
    3.0 out of 5 stars General Text but Provides Good Understanding
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    This review of Chinese history spans the entirety of Chinese history, however the edition that I bought only spanned until the middle of Deng Xiaoping's administration. Focusing primarily on trends and patterns over each period of history rather than on dates, names, and places, the reader can truly understand what was happening in Chinese daily life as opposed to just the major political leaders' lives. The author does infer at some points that the reader has a general understanding of certain events, so a complimentary textbook would be helpful.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fun survey of Chinese history
    Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2004
    This was the first book on China I read, and I did it at my own leisure. I must say that this book was quite the enjoyable read for the most part. It has a wonderful source and works cited section in the back as well as a very useful refrence index. This should be the first book anyone reads if he/she is intrested in Chinese history.

    The author has taken the privalege to refrence many other authoritative books and material on specific subjects when mentioned (for instance, mateiral on ancient Chinese warfare). I am a bad judge of "bias" or anything like this, although I did not detect any in my first reading of this book (although I may notice some if I were to read this for a second time).

    The only "borring" part of the book, in my opinion, was the first 1/8 of the book which discussed early human records in China and some of the earlier dynasties (although this is probably just my temperment). Otherwise, the book is excellently written and holds a lot of information for a survey.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Charlie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Saved my butt in history class!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2004
    A simple, easy to understand overview. Great for those of us who have been denied China's beautiful history, and just about everyone else. Covers basic themes and is not just from a western perspective. Very helpful. This is however a text book not a novel and offers the facts in a clear and plane way. It leaves all interpretations up to you and is merely a introduction to the subject.
    In other books you may get depth and interpretation but these books are for the people who already have the facts written in this book under their belt. It is the best Chinese history text I have found so far but it has its limits. I read it in combination other books in class and this helped me understand them. Still, I cannot help but appreciate the really solid history in this text as so many books on China contain so many mistakes. I also like the details about the many and varied changing terms and spellings that frustrate so many students of the East.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • mun-keat phoong
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    good.
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