The Dragon and the Foreign Devils
China and the World, 1100 BC to the Present
1st Edition
Published on 17. March 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
512 pages
978-0-7475-9329-4 (ISBN)
Description
China's story is of warfare and violence, philosophical and political invention, shining artistic achievement and often complex and subtle relations with outsiders. Harry G. Gelber's fascinating general history of this great nation makes sense of China's changing relationship with the rest of the world as never before. From the invasions by steppe horsemen in 200 BC to Genghis Khan and the Mongol conquests, from the arrival of Marco Polo to the Opium Wars, from Communism to the Tiananmen Square protest, Gelber traces the path that led to China's resurgence as a dynamic economy and a powerful international player today.
Reviews / Votes
'An informed and extremely readable introduction to 3,000 years of Chinese history' Independent 'Gives a useful summary of China's history and will introduce newcomers to the field to the great cycles of dynastic change and to the enduring characteristics of Chinese society such as the family and centralised bureaucratic government' Sunday Telegraph 'A timely and comprehensive history ... vigorously written and scholarly, but refreshingly accessible, this is vital reading for anyone who wants to understand this mysterious and inscrutable country in its new global contest' Good Book Guide 'The richness of the narrative is compelling and the candour of its comment refreshing. Rightly he emphasises the cyclical nature of China's history and scouts the idea not just of Mao as a twentieth-century emperor but of the Party as a latter-day dynasty' Literary ReviewMore details
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2011
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
€14.49
Available for download
Person
Harry G. Gelber, born in 1926, read History at Cambridge before going on to do a PhD at Monash University in Australia. He has taught international politics at Boston University, Harvard, the LSE, Yale and Monash. From 1975 until 1992 he was Professor of Political Science at the University of Tasmania and remains Professor Emeritus there. Most recently he has been Visiting Scholar, Center for European Studies, Harvard University (2004-2006) and Visiting Fellow, Department of International Relations, London School of Economics (2001-2004). His many books include Nations out of Empires (2001) and Opium, Soldiers and Evangelicals (2004). He lives in Australia from where he travels regularly to the USA and Britain.