Research Catalog

Title

The age of openness : China before Mao / Fank Dikötter

Author

Dikötter, Frank

Publication

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2008.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

131 p.; 22 cm.

Summary

"The era between empire and communism is routinely portrayed as a catastrophic interlude in China's modern history. But in this engagingly written book, Frank Dikotter instead shows that the first half of the twentieth century was characterized by unprecedented openness. He argues that from 1900 to 1949, all levels of Chinese society were seeking engagement with the rest of the world and that pursuit of openness was particularly evident in four areas: governance, including advances in liberties and the rule of law; greater freedom of movement within the country and outside it; the spirited exchange of ideas in the humanities and sciences; and thriving and open markets and the resulting sustained growth in China's economy. Accessible to general readers and full of valuable insights for specialists, China before Mao presents a fresh way of approaching the country's modern history and shows that in politics, society, culture, and the economy, China was at its most diverse on the eve of World War II."--Jacket.

Uniform Title

Project Muse UPCC books

Alternative Title

China before Mao

Subject

• 1900-1999
• China > History > 20th century

Genre/Form

History

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Introduction -- Open governance -- Open borders -- Open minds -- Open markets.

ISBN

9780520258815 (pbk. : alk. paper)

LCCN

^^2008020954

OCLC

• 227574366
• SCSB-12304386

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library