The Temperament of the Chinese People - Western Perceptions of China

Author: Ming Enpu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: What kind of life did the Chinese people live at the turn of the last century? What upheavals and changes did they experience? What cultural traditions and outdated customs did they uphold? What were the specific conditions in cities, rural areas, and all levels of society? This series of books will answer these questions. The authors of this series were Westerners who lived in China a century ago and had a deep understanding of Chinese culture. They observed and examined this mysterious land from the unique perspective of outsiders, documenting their impressions and amazements in vivid and descriptive language. Each book preserves numerous old photographs, allowing us to take a more and clearly revisit the traumatic years of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. This is a Chinese translation that has been lost for a hundred years. Before his death, Mr. Lu Xun once earnestly recommended this book to the Chinese people, but this translation was never seen. Today, we are reprinting it to highlight the rigidly conservative atmosphere of contemporary Chinese society, as well as the heartfelt desire of those studying abroad who felt the country's backwardness and the ignorance of its people, hoping that the nation would take this opportunity to endure hardships and strive for self-reliance. What is particularly valuable is that they were actually calling for a movement of self-reflection on national character and the transformation and improvement of national personality.