Ebook: The Age of Openness: China Before Mao

Pquot; In this succinct and vigorous book, Frank Dikouml;tter presents a cornucopia of graphic examples to show that China in the first half of the twentieth century, far from being in a state of decay that called for revolutionary action, was in fact a vibrant and cosmopolitan society. In such a reading, the current Chinese leaders should not be seen as striving to do something bold and new; they are merely struggling to rebuild a network of global connections that Mao and others had systematically helped to destroy. This should be an ideal book to spark class discussion on modern China.quot;#151;Jonathan Spence, author of iThe Search for Modern China/i and iReturn to Dragon Mountain/iPquot;The always innovative Frank Dikouml;tter infuses new life into an historical period left by most historians for dead#151;China's republican era from 1912 to 1949. In his persuasive recounting, this cosmopolitan, dynamic era has more to tell us about modern China's long-term trajectory than the authoritarian interlude that followed it.quot;#151;Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University