Creators of Modern China: 100 Lives from Empire to Republic 1796–1912

Historians Harrison-Hall (China: A History in Objects) and Lowell (The Opium War) offer an ambitious collection of biographical essays profiling 100 people who helped shape China’s political, economic, and cultural landscape in the waning years of the Qing Dynasty. China’s transition from the late 18th to the early 20th century is often characterized as a disastrous period, resulting in foreign domination and a “century of humiliation” for the Chinese people. Instead of focusing solely on the corruption and imperial decay that marked the period, these thoughtfully commissioned essays (each written by a different scholar of East Asian history) spotlight figures from a diverse and vibrant country, including business leader Wu Bingjian, once the world’s wealthiest person; feminist revolutionary and martyr Qiu Jin, who defied gender boundaries; artist and teacher Li Shutong, a bridge between Chinese and European art; and Muslim leaders Yusuf Ma Dexin and Musa Sayrami, who led and chronicled their communities’ struggle against increasingly erratic and violent Qing rule. More well-known political leaders are also featured, such as Cixi, the Empress Dowager; Puyi, the last emperor; and Sun Yat-sen, first provisional president of the Republic of China. Providing a broad and inclusive survey of the era, this robust scholarly effort opens an informative window onto the history of a multiethnic, multilingual China. (July)