Jonathan Fenby Modern China
The magisterial sections covering the "Rule of Mao" incorporate strands from China's past to highlight the Great Helmsmen's monstrously despotic policies, which used millions of lives as fodder for his increasingly irrational dreams. The author completes his thorough survey with an evaluation of the Deng era and the disastrous Beijing Spring of 1989, closing with a look at the recent regime's efforts to maintain stability through a combination of ideology, reform and party loyalty. Essential desk-side reference to help with the sifting and understanding of the enormous changes taking place in a China poised between the old and the new. Pub Date: June 24, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-06-166116-7 Page Count: 740 Publisher: Ecco/HarperCollins Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010 Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2008
Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850 to the Present | Jonathan Fenby | download
Top reviews from the United States There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2009 Verified Purchase This book covers more than one hundred years of Chinese history, with a special focus on the 20th century. I approached this book as a potential overview of what has happened in China that led to its present status as a rising economic and political power. In this sense, I have not been disappointed. The book is divided in six parts, covering different historical periods, starting with the end of the empire, and finishing with Hu Jintao's leadership. Because of the span of time covered in the book, the author cannot go particularly deep in any particular issue, but enough information is provided to have a clear and general idea of China's recent history. Still, and that is why I am giving the book 4 stars and not 5, I feel that a more sharp interpretation of events could have been possible. Even though the books helped me to have a basic understanding of the reasons behind the most significant events, such as the fall of the Empire, the raise of Mao to power, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution or the Tiananmen Square revolt, I ended the book thinking that, yes, I know a lot more about China, and definitely I will understand better any China-related piece of news, but something was missing in the explanation of why those things happened.
Modern China also devotes considerable detail to relations with Japan, and its occupation of the Middle Kingdom. This is important because of the tenuous grip China held on its independence as foreign powers including Japan and Western nations held over the most valuable cities and regions, dating back to the decades leading up to the period covered by Fenby. He correctly chose to delve into more detail of Japan's occupation than those of the Western powers, but covers pressures from European nations sufficiently to illustrate China's reluctance to, for instance, allow foreign companies set up shop without a Chinese partner. Modern China has pointed toward areas for further study for me as well, especially of the managers class in the Politburo who have succeeded Deng and are advancing his model. Fenby's portrayal of events through Chiang Kai-shek's ineffectual attempt to forge a modern nation are essentially covered as military history, which I found not as rewarding as Fenby's treatment of subsequent events.
[3] Education [ edit] Fenby was educated at King Edward VI School, Birmingham and at Westminster School, an independent school for boys in central London, followed by New College at the University of Oxford. [4] Career [ edit] Fenby joined Reuters in 1963, and reported from Europe and Vietnam as well as working as an editor at the head office in London. He was Paris bureau chief from 1968-73 before being appointed as Editor of the agency's World Service in 1973. After leaving Reuters in 1977, he joined The Economist where he was chief correspondent in both Paris and Bonn (1981-86) and wrote three books. He then became home editor of The Independent (at launch 1986–8), and then deputy editor of The Guardian (1988–93), followed by the editorship of The Observer from 1993 to 1995 [4] and then of the South China Morning Post from 1995 to 2000 [5] during the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. After returning to London from Hong Kong in 2000, Fenby wrote extensively about China for British and other publications as well as working at various on-line services and as associate editor of the newspaper Sunday Business.
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"� Times Literary Supplement (London) "Panoramic narrative... a wonderful resource... One does not often feel that an author has got it just about all covered but Mr. Fenby is approaching the mark. "� Far Eastern Economic Review "His book is a powerful revisionist account of a country whose history needs to be understood if the west is to comprehend China's role in the present and future... That century-old dilemma of how to create a strong China in a world buffeted by global forces in painfully relevant today. Jonathan Fenby's account of how China has coped with that dilemma makes his illuminating book the first major history that looks at the country with the eyes of the 21st century rather than the 20th.
In spite of its minor shortcomings, though, I recommend Fenby's book to those looking for a general overview of modern Chinese history. Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2020 Verified Purchase Covers a huge period. Deep on detail and lists of who was who but could use a lot more insights and conclusions. Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2014 Verified Purchase Fascinating read from 1850 to 2008. Very comprehensive, yet not boring. Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2011 Verified Purchase The book ain't light but definitely China's history deserves all that much space. The author introduces you from the fall of the last emperor until the current issues affecting China. It is 95% well written. the reading is most certainly enjoyable and gives you good knowledge in the understanding of the reasons for current behavioral ways of the chinese people. The Glossary and the appendixes definitely are useful due to the multitude of people that are mentioned in this book.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2009 Abstract An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content. Copyright Copyright © The China Quarterly 2009 Access options Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. Full text views reflects PDF downloads, PDFs sent to Google Drive, Dropbox and Kindle and HTML full text views. Total number of HTML views: 17 Total number of PDF views: 124 * View data table for this chart * Views captured on Cambridge Core between September 2016 - 6th January 2021. This data will be updated every 24 hours.
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