The Qing Empire
The Roots of Modern China
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Polity Press
Publishing:13th Nov '26
£25.00
This title is due to be published on 13th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
The Qing dynasty was one of the greatest empires in world history, spanning three centuries and hundreds of millions of Manchu, Mongol, and Chinese subjects throughout East and Central Asia. The People's Republic of China has built its claims to global hegemony on Qing foundations. Without understanding the Qing's rise and fall, we cannot properly interpret China's role in the modern world. This book tells that story.
Peter C. Perdue examines how the Qing empire expanded to occupy a vast territory and then endured for centuries, its longevity based on ideology, cultural display, and geopolitical strategy. As the population grew, adventurers explored the frontiers and businessmen created sprawling networks of commerce. In the mid-nineteenth century, severe internal and external blows nearly brought it down. Yet it survived into the twentieth century, toppled by the doctrine of nationalism, which created the successor states of China, Taiwan, and Mongolia.
Concluding with an assessment of the legacy of the Qing for modern nation-states, ethnic identities, and foreign relations, no one who wants to understand modern Asia can afford to miss this tour de force.
"This outstanding book is a true feat of creativity and concision. At once engaging and accessible, the quality of this fine volume reflects the author's stature as one of the most distinguished scholars of the Qing empire."
Matthew W. Mosca, University of Washington
"A masterly account of the Qing era showing persuasively its truly imperial character while also drawing instructive comparisons with other empires. This book will therefore be as invaluable for comparative analysis as for its superb depiction of the empire."
Krishan Kumar, University of Virginia
"This magisterial history of the Qing demonstrates that many issues of the contemporary Chinese world – the status of Taiwan; the challenges of multiethnic governance in frontier areas like Xinjiang, Tibet, and Yunnan; tensions between exploiting and protecting vast and fragile ecosystems; and even the very essence of what it means to be Chinese – bear the shadow of China's final imperial dynasty. Yet The Qing Empire does so much more than simply recount the nearly three centuries of Manchu rule that preceded the founding of the Republic of China in 1912. Rather, with its brilliant emphasis on comparative, 'horizontal' history, it situates the Qing in global macrotrends, intellectual crosscurrents, environmental patterns, and critical geopolitical turning points. It is essential reading both for those interested in contemporary China and for anybody seeking to comprehend the transnational human experience."
Edward Steinfeld, Brown University
"One of the most erudite scholars in the field of Qing history, Peter C. Perdue provides a bird's-eye view of the trajectories of various historical scholarships over time. He demonstrates the organic connections among social-economic history, political history, environmental history, and frontier history."
He Wenkai, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
ISBN: 9781509568796
Dimensions: 235mm x 161mm x 30mm
Weight: 652g
352 pages