Great China Empire

Author: Zhou Ning
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: This series comprehensively and systematically discusses the Western image of China and the historical changes in the "Western image of China" over seven centuries. It provides the most incisive reasoning and revelations to date on the historical process and significance of the formation of the Western image of China, along with the most extensive and comprehensive supporting evidence. Not only does it surpass all existing Chinese and foreign publications in scale, but it also differs academically from previously published domestic works. The West cannot represent the world, and the Western image of China does not belong to a strict sense of understanding. Therefore, this series is more about studying Western culture than Chinese culture, with the image of China merely serving as a symbol of the Western worldview. The author of this series, Zhou Ning, is a Ph.D., professor, doctoral supervisor, and head of the Chinese Department at the School of Humanities, Xiamen University. The image of China has transitioned from one legend to another. Renaissance culture needed a model for self-renewal and self-transcendence, so it idealized the distant Great Chinese Empire. It had vast territory, a large population, abundant resources, a developed economy, efficient and incorruptible administration, and fair and reasonable justice. It was not a Christian country but was superior to Christian countries. The period covered by this study spans the 16th and 17th centuries, discussing the Western image of China during the Age of Discovery.