Opis: The Fall and Rise of China - Paul U. Unschuld

Today, China is a global power, home to the world's fastest-growing economy and largest standing army--which makes it hard to believe that only 150 years ago, China was enduring defeats by Western imperial powers and neighboring Japan. For a time, the Middle Kingdom seemed like it was on the verge of being overtaken by foreign interests--but the country has quickly and ambitiously become a player on the world stage once again. In this absorbing account of how China refashioned itself, Paul U. Unschuld traces the course of the country's development in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Faced with evidence of the superiority of Western science and technology, Unschuld shows, China delivered an unsparing self-diagnosis, identifying those aspects of Western civilization it had to adopt in order to remove the cultural impediments to its own renaissance. He reveals that China did not just express its many aversions to the West as collective hatred for its aggressors; rather, the country chose the path of reason and fundamental renewal, prescribing for itself a therapy that followed the same principles as Chinese medicine: the cause of an illness lies first and foremost within oneself. In curing its wounds by first admitting its own deficiencies and mistakes, China has been able to develop itself as a modern country and a leading competitor in science, technology, and education. Presenting an entirely new analysis of China's past, this crisp, concise book offers new insights into the possibilities of what China may achieve in the future."Over the last 150 years China was repeatedly humiliated, by Western imperial powers and by its smaller neighbour, Japan. For a time the 'Middle Kingdom' seemed on the verge of becoming a pawn of foreign interests. Then, in a process unmatched in history, this great culture recovered vigorously from its seemingly hopeless plight - so much so that today the state, its leaders and its burgeoning economic and military might are globally acknowledged and not infrequently feared. The Fall and Rise of China: Healing the Trauma of History traces the country's development in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries up to the present day and offers an explanation of the collective mentality that enabled China, confronted by the superiority of Western science and technology, to commit to the unsparing self-diagnosis that enabled its impressive rise and radical transformation. The country identi?ed the aspects of Western civilization it must adopt in order to remove the obstacles to its own rebirth, taking a path of reason and renewal. Profoundly wounded, China prescribed for itself a therapy that followed the same principle used in Chinese medicine: the cause lies ?rst and foremost within oneself. Prevention and treatment must therefore always begin with one's own deficiencies and mistakes. In this powerful polemic Paul U. Unschuld presents an entirely new understanding and analysis of China's past and offers fascinating insights into its possible future."

Szczegóły: The Fall and Rise of China - Paul U. Unschuld

Tytuł: The Fall and Rise of China
Autor: Paul U. Unschuld
Producent: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 9781780231686
Rok produkcji: 2013
Ilość stron: 128
Oprawa: Miękka

Recenzje: The Fall and Rise of China - Paul U. Unschuld