History : China

The oneness of China is the norm. Periods of divisions are aberrations. This is how Chinese thinkers, leaders and ultimately the majority of Chinese people have regarded Chinese politics and history for more than 2,000 years. The oneness was never perfect. As long as certain minimal conditions were met and the polity which proclaimed that oneness was widely acknowledged, that was enough. Chinese ruling elites adopted this pragmatic approach so they could ensure that the ideal could always approximate China’s reality. This is a revised edition of a study undertaken to explain what happened during one of the worst periods of division in Chinese history. What were the key factors that helped the centripetal forces to get back to the imperial norm? It begins with the final stage of decline of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and ends 50 years later when it became clear that the foundations for a last push towards unification were in place. more...

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In all the history of China, only two women ever conquered and held the heights of power. Both enjoyed long reigns characterized by ruthless intrigue; they maintained an iron grip at the center while the vast country was torn by rebellions and caught up i more...

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''Will you take her?'' she asks. When Beth Nonte Russell travels to China to help her friend Alex adopt a baby girl from an orphanage there, she thinks it will be an adventure, a chance to see the world. But her friend, who had prepared for the adoption for many months, panics soon after being presented with the frail baby, and the situation develops into one of the greatest challenges of Russell's life. more...

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In an intriguing and provocative exploration of its cinema, architecture, photography, and literature, Ackbar Abbas considers what Hong Kong can teach us about the future of both the colonial city and the global city. more...

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In Interpreting China’s Development, leading experts on China provide an overview of this growing superpower, highlighting key issues in the country's political, economic and social development. Underpinned by up-to-date scholarly research yet written in a readable and concise style, this volume of over 40 short chapters offers a very accessible way to understanding the major events and dominant issues that had emerged in China over the last few decades. The essays are grouped under four thematic sections — challenges of governance, growth and structural changes, coping with rising social problems and relations with major powers and neighbours — covering salient topics such as the emerging mode of leadership succession, sustainability of China’s high growth, widening inequalities, environmental crisis and the external impact of China’s rise. Non-specialists in particular, should find this volume useful in keeping up with China’s fast changing developments. more...

Price: $88.40