Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated; Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012
Language: eng
Number of pages: 190
ISBN-13: 9781442219762
Subjects: East and west; China, civilization; Europe, civilization; China, history, ming dynasty, 1368-1644; China, history, qing dynasty, 1644-1912
Description: For the Chinese, the drive toward growing political and economic power is part of an ongoing effort to restore China's past greatness and remove the lingering memories of history's humiliations. This book explores the 1500-1800 period before China's decline, when the country was viewed as a leading world culture and power. Europe, by contrast, was in the early stages of emerging from provincial to international status while the United States was still an uncharted wilderness. D. E. Mungello argues that this earlier era, ironically, may contain more relevance for today than the more recent past. This fully revised fourth edition retains the clear and concise quality of its predecessors, while drawing on a wealth of new research on Sino-Western history and the increasing contributions of Chinese historians. Building on the author's decades of research and teaching, this compelling book illustrates the vital importance of history to readers trying to understand China's renewed rise.