A prizewinning historian and expert on Chinese foreign relations examines China's relationship to the outside world for the past 250 years, showing how the past will set the course for China's future.
Odd Arne Westad is one of the world's foremost experts on both the Cold War and contemporary East Asian history, having won the Bancroft Prize, the Michael Harrington Award and the Akira Iriye International History Book Award for his seminal book The Global Cold War. A Professor of International History at the London School of Economics, he is also co-director of LSE IDEAS, a centre for the study of international affairs, diplomacy and grand strategy.
Written by one of the most distinguished scholars on China, this
book brings clarity and insight into complex historical issues
*Jung Chang*
Thorough, fast-moving, and consistently clear. Restless Empire
gives an excellent introduction to the vagaries of China’s foreign
relations over the last 250 years
*Jonathan Spence, author of The Search for Modern China*
An authoritative and lucid history of China’s foreign relations
from the peak of the Qing dynasty in the eighteenth century to the
present day. Anyone seeking to understand the role China may play
in our future world should start with this book
*Stephen R. Platt, author of Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom*
An essential guide to modern China’s often violent encounter with
the rest of the world
*Frank Dikotter, author of 'Mao’s Great Famine'*
Written by one of the most distinguished scholars on China, this
book brings clarity and insight into complex historical
issues -- Jung Chang
Thorough, fast-moving, and consistently clear. Restless
Empire gives an excellent introduction to the vagaries of
China's foreign relations over the last 250 years -- Jonathan
Spence, author of The Search for Modern China
An authoritative and lucid history of China's foreign relations
from the peak of the Qing dynasty in the eighteenth century to the
present day. Anyone seeking to understand the role China may
play in our future world should start with this book -- Stephen
R. Platt, author of Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom
An essential guide to modern China's often violent encounter with
the rest of the world -- Frank Dikotter, author of 'Mao's Great
Famine'
During the past 250 years China has moved from the center of the world stage to abject isolation and back again, largely due to foreign pressures and influences. Westad (international history, London Sch. of Economics & Political Science; The Global Cold War) provides a nuanced interpretation of the history of China's foreign relations. Readers will find a thorough examination of how foreign encounters affected various segments of Chinese society and a description of intergovernmental exchanges. The book concludes with predictions of how China's foreign relations will unfold in the near future. VERDICT This is essential reading for students of modern Chinese history and for those interested in China's growing role in world affairs. Westad's ability to lucidly explain a complex subject makes this an excellent introduction. For a more comprehensive analysis of Chinese history covering roughly the same era, see Jonathan D. Spence's The Search for Modern China.-Joshua Wallace, South Texas Coll. Lib., McAllen (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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