Books on the history of modern China for pleasure reading?
score:2
Here are some I can recommend, and I had a couple of these in my history classes so they might seem to be a bit more than you like but they are not bad reads even for non-history types. They are not difficult to get into even if you are not a historian, although modern Chinese history especially in the warlord era is complex so it does take a little bit of time to understand the complexities.
- Lucien Bianco, Origins of the Chinese Revolution 1915-1949
- John King Fairbank, The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985
- Grasso, Corrin, Kort; Modernization and Revolution in China from the Opium Wars to World Power
- John Gittings, The Changing Face of China from Mao to Market
- Hanes, Sanello; The Opium Wars, Addiction of One Empire and Corruption of Another
These should get you started, I'd recommend the Grasso, Corrin and Kort book only for its brief synopsis bits of many of the changes in China from the end of the Qing to modernization but I also had classes with Professor Corrin a few years ago so I am slightly biased there. The Changing Face of China might be more to your liking if you want to know about the modern attitudes and changes in China since 1949 and has some good detail on each stage of development and might be the style you want to read.
They are not really history books but Red Azalea by Anchee Min and The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck are views on China that are more fictional, although Anchee Min's story is more about her life in China through the Cultural Revolution. Pearl S Buck is more about China at the end of the Qing and is considered a very good capture of Chinese culture from an outsider for the time.
Upvote:0
You definitely want to read Tai-Pan and Noble House by Clavell.
They are about the foundation of Hong Kong (Tai-Pan) and its economic boom in the 1960s (Noble House).
Upvote:4
I can't believe no one mentioned The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence. It is a rather long book and covers a longer time period than asked for by the OP. He is a very good writer who can synthesize the story and the main idea behind historical events. His writing is very easy to read yet also academic. It is the book to have if you want a general understanding of recent Chinese history and politics.
The book spans 1600s to 2000 but I think to understanding the events leading up to the 20th century one must step back a few centuries to examine China's opening up to the rest of the world and the collapse of dynastic rule.
More post
- 📝 Are there examples of cities planned for urban combat that actually experienced it?
- 📝 How did Nazi Germany finance itself during WW2?
- 📝 What toilet facilities were available to commoners in the middle ages?
- 📝 What race were the invading Turkish armies of Anatolia?
- 📝 Are the pyramids too old?
- 📝 Why was only the Silver medal awarded for music at the 1932s Olympics?
- 📝 How old is the practice of wearing your "Sunday Best" to church?
- 📝 Is there an objective measure of decadence?
- 📝 Capturing a much larger ship?
- 📝 Was the 1852 Richard/Bolcoff divorce the first one in California?
- 📝 Would there have been racially mixed student bodies in schools in communist Bulgaria?
- 📝 Do any sources confirm this quote from Pope Urban II's speech at the Council of Clermont?
- 📝 Was there any official affirmation from the US government that they would win the Vietnam War?
- 📝 When did home weather thermometers become popular/common?
- 📝 Why was Lakhdar Boumediene, in the Boumediene v Bush case, acquitted of his charges? And, why was the habeas corpus not suspended?
- 📝 Why did the United States issue the Monroe Doctrine when it did?
- 📝 Was sexual abuse/assault a unique feature of American Slavery or was there similar abuse in previous slave systems?
- 📝 What was the official currency used in North Carolina in 1814?
- 📝 In the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was there any secret agreement on the timetable, if any, of taking the spheres of influence?
- 📝 Why did China begin persecuting Falun Gong after tolerating the movement for nearly a decade?
- 📝 Does a description of the original design for the Great Seal of the United States by Simitiere survive?
- 📝 What does "free and independent states" mean in the Declaration of Independence?
- 📝 How formalised were the various tiers of Russian nobility during the regency of Sophia Alekseyevna?
- 📝 What does this Rx glyph mean in what looks like Latin?
- 📝 From Twitter: When did Islamic literacy fall behind?
- 📝 Has Matéo Maximoff's book Die Ursitory been translated to English?
- 📝 Were there many "co-headed" commands where the senior member was younger than the junior?
- 📝 What happened to rural gas stations in the US?
- 📝 What made the English the dominant power of the British Isles?
- 📝 What are these old Chinese books?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Books on the history of modern China for pleasure reading?
- 📝 If the Ch’in dynasty was so short-lived, why was China named for it?
- 📝 Japan is known for being isolationist, so what cultivated its history of interventionism in the 20th century?
- 📝 Why do all my history books divide Chinese history after the Han dynasty?
- 📝 What is the reason for the modern prominence of the Confederate battle flag, as opposed to some other Confederate flag?
- 📝 Are there any good sources on the history of the name for Kazakhstan?
- 📝 When was the modern manuscript for the Torah agreed upon?
- 📝 Did people 'go to the beach' for pleasure during classical antiquity?
- 📝 What was the order of precedence for ancient China nobility ranks?
- 📝 What is the earliest history of Middle Eastern women wearing veils for modesty while in public?
- 📝 Looking for a particular documentary about the history of long distance communication
- 📝 How many defensive lines did China build for the Second Sino-Japanese War?
- 📝 Why did China begin persecuting Falun Gong after tolerating the movement for nearly a decade?
- 📝 Why was the Tea Horse Route through Tibet less prevalent than the Silk Road route through Tarim Basin, for contact between China and India?
- 📝 Autobiographical books about the Atlantic war for WWII from the allied perspective
- 📝 Is Bulgaria the only country in modern history to have gained territory after being on the losing side of a war?
- 📝 What incentives were there for Soviet and Chinese politicians to try climb to the top when there was so much history of deposing their own?
- 📝 What are the most recommended non-biased books on Egyptian History
- 📝 Are there any modern history examples of large scale conflicts where warfare technology provides a great advantage to the defender, except WWI?
- 📝 How does the "conspiracy theory" work in China and for what purpose?
- 📝 What did modern China do with food sold to the state?
- 📝 What are some good references for the history of legal business entities?
- 📝 Was the year 2000 a really peaceful time in history for the West?
- 📝 What were the reasons for the Renaissance / scientific revolution in Europe?
- 📝 Is history always written by the victors?
- 📝 Has there ever been a case when a traitorous military commander took command again for the side he betrayed?
- 📝 What did babies eat before the advent of modern blenders?
- 📝 During the breakup of the Soviet Union, on what basis was citizenship granted or withheld for each of the fifteen new republics?
- 📝 What is the logic for the map maker classifying the map this way, specifically in Canada?
- 📝 Was it militarily possible to "island hop" the Philippines if not for MacArthur?