Chinese essence

Author: (American) Hinton Helperin, translated by Zhang Cheng and Tang Lina
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Some details in this book are very interesting. The author's perspectives are sharp and insightful, with a unique sensitivity and clarity of an outsider. It's like a mirror. In the mirror, we dimly see ourselves—both unfamiliar and familiar—lived within the tradition of China. – Xia Xiaohong, Professor of Chinese Department, Peking University, and expert in late Qing studies.
Fay Chia-chin, a late Qing scholar, said that Chinese people have a deeply concealed cultural superiority. This book depicts the fall of this self-assuming "world center," similar to how we observe the United States today. It offers a valuable lesson: on both sides of the hostile and intertwined understanding, we gain both reading enjoyment and ignite the spark of thought. – Xiao Sanzhang, Editor-in-Chief of Book Review, Beijing News.
What was late Qing China really like? The Chinese may already be familiar with such descriptions: a corrupt and decadent court, ignorant and foolish people, a few traitors and a few brave scholar-officials struggling in the twilight of the empire's decline, a nation struck hard by the world. Whether Chinese people themselves or Westerners, they may have misinterpreted that era. The value of Hinton Helperin lies in his effort to discard the bias of Western-centricism, treating the Chinese as real people and Chinese society as a real society. – Li Yangfan, late Qing foreign affairs expert at the School of International Relations, Peking University.
The American diplomat Hinton Helperin recognized the limitations of his role as a "mirror": "We measure others by the standards we have built and the patterns we have summarized from ourselves. Whether others are correct or wise depends on whether they follow or deviate from the norms we have established." Therefore, he did his best to overcome these limitations that caused "distortion," and his The Chinese People became a very comprehensive and rare "mirror" of late Qing Chinese society and people. – Lei Yi, researcher at the Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
This book is not to defend the Chinese, nor to apologize for them, nor to criticize them, nor to praise them. It only explains China and the Chinese. The author has lived in China for many years and has had close contact and built good relationships with people from all regions and strata of the Chinese Empire. Now, the author attempts to write down his feelings about the Chinese Empire. The author strives to describe and explain the outstanding characteristics of this nation's life and discuss why many Westerners find abrupt and unacceptable ways seem natural and righteous to the Chinese. The entire book is based on objective facts, not subjective speculation. The author hopes to portray the true Chinese people in a sketch-like manner. The book is interspersed with many specific examples, hoping to make the author's work more relatable, vivid, and easier to understand.
The Chinese have some shortcomings and peculiarities, but they also possess many shining moral qualities and admirable personality traits. Over time, these have been firmly inherited by the younger generation, changing very slowly. China has a bright future, and it will play a pivotal role in world history. If someone does not firmly believe this, they do not truly understand China.