The editors are grateful to the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for its generous support of their research work which enabled them to publish the present book. The present book carefully maps the Chinese modernisation discourse, highlighting its relationship to other, similar discourses, and situating it within historical and theoretical contexts. In contrast to the majority of recent discussions of a “Chinese development model” that tend to focus more on institutional then cultural factors, and are more narrowly concerned with economic matters than overall social development, the book offers several important focal points for many presently overlooked issues and dilemmas. The multifaceted perspectives contained in this anthology are not limited to economic, social, and ecological issues, but also include political and social functions of ideologies and cultural conditioned values, representing the axial epistemological grounds of modern Chinese society. 2011 was the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. The centennial is relevant not only in terms of state ideology, but also plays a significant role within academic research into Chinese society and culture. This historic turning point likewise represents the symbolic and concrete linkages and tensions between tradition and modernity, progress and conservatism, traditional values and the demands for adjustment to contemporary societies. The book shows that Chinese transition from tradition to modernity cannot be understood in a framework of a unified general model of society, but rather through a more complex insight into the interrelations among elements of physical environment, social structure, philosophy, history, and culture.

Revised and updated, this thoughtful, balanced and highly readable work provides a succinct, yet comprehensive and cohesive overview of China's path to modernization, preparing readers to understand the complex interaction between the Chinese cultural traditional and the internal and external pressures for change that led China onto the path of revolution and Communism. Evaluating the impact of Mao Ze-dong's thought and action on China's development, it explores the nature of Deng Xiao-ping's "second revolution" that reversed many of Maoist policies that put the country on the road to economic prosperity but which also created serious economic and political imbalances that will continue to plague China in the near future. Develops and sustains a narrative line not usually available in survey histories of China, presenting an internal coherence within each chapter that provides not only an integrated picture of political, cultural, and economic developments but also a convenient foundation to grasp the sequence of fundamental changes in China. Provides a brief summary of China's past history, focusing on the ideology and institutions that molded Chinese political culture. Covers critical transition periods, such as the collapse of the Manchu dynasty and the establishment of the first republic; the shift of power from the Nationalists to the Communists; and the rise of Deng Xiao-ping after the passing away of Mao Ze-dong. Expands coverage on many areas, including Tibet, PRC in Taiwan, and Hong Kong; the Sino-Indian war of 1962, and the Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979; plus social, economic, and cultural topics in various periods.

The Question for Twentieth-Century China has been the integration of tradition and modernity. In this collection of essays written over a period of some twenty years (1987-2006), Chen Lai reflects on the question in an informative and original way. He reads behind the political slogans and engages with the thought both of Max Weber, Talcott Parsons and Western sociology, and representative Chinese thinkers, notably Feng Youlan and Liang Shuming. While the focus is on China, the book also appeals to anyone interested in this fascinating question of how to modernise whilst retaining the positive values of tradition. Chen Lai s unique and balanced grasp of society marks him out as the foremost thinker in China on this topic today.

This book begins, and perhaps should end, with an excerpt from the writings of the late eminent Chinese scholar, Fung Yu-lan (or Feng Youlan) (1895-1990), who wrote: "The ancient Chinese culture is an inherent factor determining the Chinese style.". If the latter enunciation of Fung Yu-lan stirs one's interest in Chinese culture for the typical reasons, such as, an interest in ancient periods of China; romanticism, which focuses on the exotic and mysterious, for example, Zen Buddhism and Taoism; or simply as the source of exotic objets d'art, then all the better. Because for a typical Westerner bound in Western conventionalism and parochialism, engendering an understanding of the policies and practices of the People's Republic of China (China) necessitates understanding a modern China in light of Chinese traditional culture (or philosophy), or a China in antiquity. The consequence of Chinese traditional culture affects many political economy concerns of modern China, ranging from socio-economic, political, to international trade and other concerns. Indeed, philosophical antecedents influence modern Chinese policies and practices.

This book examines three overarching themes: Chinese modernity's (sometimes ambivalent) relationship to tradition at the start of the twentieth century, the processes of economic reform started in the 1980s and their importance to both the eradication and rescue of traditional practices, and the ideological issue of cosmopolitanism and how it frames the older academic generation's attitudes to globalisation. It is important to grasp the importance of these points as they have been an important part of the discourse surrounding contemporary Chinese visual culture. As readers progress through this book, it will become clear that the debates surrounding visual culture are not purely based on aesthetics--an understanding of the ideological issues surrounding the appearance of things as well as an understanding of the social circumstances that result in the making of traditional artifacts are as important as the way a traditional object may look. Contemporary Chinese Visual Culture is an important book for all collections dealing with Asian studies, art, popular culture, and interdisciplinary studies.

"This book has been prepared to mark the retirement of Professor dr. E. Zèurcher from the Sinologisch Instituut, Leiden"-- Pref.