An Intellectual History of Modern China

An Intellectual History of Modern China is the only comprehensive book on modern China’s intellectual development from the nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century. Merle Goldman and Leo Ou-fan Lee introduce and set the contemporary, scholarly context for this collection of essays, drawn from the later volumes (Volumes 12-15) of The Cambridge History of China. The chapters, authored by eminent historians and social scientists in the field of Chinese studies, together trace the transformation of Confucian ideas, the introduction of Western views, and the resulting, uniquely Chinese view of the world. By linking key intellectual developments and figures to emerging political movements, they explain the profound impact of changing ideas and values on Chinese politics and revolution. Merle Goldman brings the history up to date with a new, concluding chapter on the Deng Xiaoping era and China’s intellectual scene at the end of the twentieth century.