Sources in Chinese History

Book excerpt: Sources in Chinese History, now in its second edition, has been updated to include re-translations of over a third of the documents. It also incorporates nearly 40 new sources that work to familiarize readers with the key events, personages, and themes of modern China. Organized thematically, the volume examines China’s complex history from the rise of the Qing dynasty in the mid-seventeenth century through the formation of the People’s Republic of China up to the present. Each chapter begins with an annotated visual source followed by a chapter introduction and analysis of textual sources, allowing students to explore different types of sources and topics. Sources in Chinese History contextualizes the issues, trends, and challenges of each particular period. Special attention has been made to incorporate a variety of viewpoints which challenge standard accounts. Non-traditional documents, such as movie dialogues, are also included which aim to encourage students to reconsider historical events and trends in Chinese history. This volume includes a variety of sources, such as maps, posters, film scripts, memorials, and political cartoons and advertisements, that make this book the perfect introductory aid for students of Chinese history, politics, and culture, as well as Chinese studies after 1600.