Cambridge History of China: Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) (Volume 2)

Author: (British) Richard C. Rudolph, (American) Mark Elvin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: The author says: Since 1966, when John K. Fairbank (1907-1991) and I began to plan the Cambridge History of China, it has been 30 years. The general editor's preface was written 20 years ago, and soon, the first few volumes were published in 1978 and 1979. With the publication of this volume, there are now 11 volumes printed. The historians of China in the 1990s mentioned in this volume, whether male or female, Chinese or Western, and regardless of the language they write in, are all part of this new international system, which has been established by information technology, interconnection, and interdependence. In many respects, in the crucial topics we discover, in our overall concept of the social context of past events, and in the lessons we seek from the past, we still hold different opinions. But we all understand that no matter how quickly our attitude toward the past changes, or how much our interpretation of the past may vary, the past is an eternal part of ourselves. The various disasters in China in the 1960s stemmed from a misguided and futile belief that people could be completely reshaped and that they could sever their cultural experiences of the past. Since 1966, when John K. Fairbank (1907-1991) and I began to plan the Cambridge History of China, it has been 30 years. The general editor's preface was written 20 years ago, and soon, the first few volumes were published in 1978 and 1979. With the publication of this volume, there are now 11 volumes printed. The historians of China in the 1990s mentioned in this volume, whether male or female, Chinese or Western, and regardless of the language they write in, are all part of this new international system, which has been established by information technology, interconnection, and interdependence. In many respects, in the crucial topics we discover, in our overall concept of the social context of past events, and in the lessons we seek from the past, we still hold different opinions. But we all understand that no matter how quickly our attitude toward the past changes, or how much our interpretation of the past may vary, the past is an eternal part of ourselves. The various disasters in China in the 1960s stemmed from a misguided and futile belief that people could be completely reshaped and that they could sever their cultural experiences of the past.