Historical Site (Modern China Through the Eyes of Western Journalists)

Author: Zhang Gongchen (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: The only thing that never changes is that "great changes" have occurred in every era." — Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time
China has a deeply concealed cultural sense of superiority. Therefore, the sense of humiliation it feels in its modern backward state is particularly intense. To modernize, China had to progress more slowly than most countries, as the long stagnation it experienced made change difficult. As a result, a powerful inertia restrains China's revolutionary changes, making them spasmodic at times, sometimes internally suppressed, and sometimes destructive. — John K. Fairbank, The Great Chinese Revolution
History is a play with no final ending; every conclusion is the beginning of a new plot in the play. This book is a companion to Foreign Journalists and Modern China—1840–1949. Based on years of professional research, the author divides the work into four parts: "Figures," "Events," "Lives," and "Cities," presenting readers with works by Western journalists who reported, described, and recalled life in China during the first half of the 20th century. These works not only hold high historical and temporal value but also combine readability, knowledge, and interest.
In the first half of the 20th century, many Western journalists came to China, documenting the ancient yet unfamiliar land through their eyes. Based on years of professional research, the author selects representative works by Western journalists, organized into four parts: "Figures," "Events," "Lives," and "Cities." The historical details and compelling stories recorded by these journalists in their news reports and memoirs help us better understand modern China in its turbulent times.