Suchergebnisse

"This book maps out the state of China studies in seven Southeast Asian countries from different perspectives. It looks at the history and current status of the study of China, analyses the characteristics of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar, and what factors shaped the development and prospects of Sinology and Chinese Studies in these countries. For the first time, China experts from within and outside of this region, using a wide range of biographical, historical, bibliographical and comparative methodologies, tell the stories of how intellectuals and scholars in selected Southeast Asian countries understand, study, and research China. Their studies are providing different perspectives and discourses on China. Chapters discover and explore common factors such as the presence of sizeable ethnic Chinese communities, historical and current interactions between China and Southeast Asia, and the diverse intellectual influences in the region"--

A discerning account of simmering conflict in the South China Sea and why the world can't afford to be indifferent China's rise has upset the global balance of power, and the first place to feel the strain is Beijing's back yard: the South China Sea. For decades tensions have smoldered in the region, but today the threat of a direct confrontation among superpowers grows ever more likely. This important book is the first to make clear sense of the South Sea disputes. Bill Hayton, a journalist with extensive experience in the region, examines the high stakes involved for rival nations that include Vietnam, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, and China, as well as the United States, Russia, and others. Hayton also lays out the daunting obstacles that stand in the way of peaceful resolution. Through lively stories of individuals who have shaped current conflicts—businessmen, scientists, shippers, archaeologists, soldiers, diplomats, and more—Hayton makes understandable the complex history and contemporary reality of the South China Sea. He underscores its crucial importance as the passageway for half the world's merchant shipping and one-third of its oil and gas. Whoever controls these waters controls the access between Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Pacific. The author critiques various claims and positions (that China has historic claim to the Sea, for example), overturns conventional wisdoms (such as America's overblown fears of China's nationalism and military resurgence), and outlines what the future may hold for this clamorous region of international rivalry

Frontmatter -- Acknowledgments -- CONTENTS -- List of Illustrations -- 1 Consumer Culture in Chinese History -- 2 Inventing Imperial Traditions and Building Olde Shoppes -- 3 Advertising Dreams -- 4 Capturing a National Market -- 5 Crossing Enemy Lines -- 6 Crossing National Borders -- 7 Agents of Consumer Culture -- Abbreviations Used in Notes -- Notes -- Archives -- Works Cited -- List of Illustration Credits -- Index

Frontmatter -- Table of Contents -- A Note on Romanization -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- Introduction -- 1 The Enlightenment of the West -- 2 Chuban Ziyou: The Invention of a Neologism -- 3 The Liminal Landscape -- 4 The Intellectual Legacy of Sun Yat-sen -- 5 The Empty Phrase and Popular Ignorance -- 6 Conceptual Debates in the 1920s and 1930s -- 7 The Last Call for Press Freedom -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index

"Using a synthetic narrative approach, this ambitious work uses the lens of multipolarity to analyze Tang China's (618-907) relations with Turkestan; the Korean states of Koguryŏ, Silla, and Paekche; the state of Parhae in Manchuria; and the Nanzhao and Tibetan kingdoms. Without any one entity able to dominate Asia's geopolitical landscape, the author argues that relations among these countries were quite fluid and dynamic--an interpretation that departs markedly from the prevalent view of China fixed at the center of a widespread "tribute system." To cope with external affairs in a tumultuous world, Tang China employed a dual management system that allowed both central and local officials to conduct foreign affairs. The court authorized Tang local administrators to receive foreign visitors, forward their diplomatic letters to the capital, and manage contact with outsiders whose territories bordered on China. Not limited to handling routine matters, local officials used their knowledge of border situations to influence the court's foreign policy. Some even took the liberty of acting without the court's authorization when an emergency occurred, thus adding another layer to multipolarity in the region's geopolitics. The book also sheds new light on the ideological foundation of Tang China's foreign policy. Appropriateness, efficacy, expedience, and mutual self-interest guided the court's actions abroad. Although officials often used "virtue" and "righteousness" in policy discussions and announcements, these terms were not abstract universal principles but justifications for the pursuit of self-interest by those involved. Detailed philological studies reveal that in the realm of international politics, "virtue" and "righteousness" were in fact viewed as pragmatic and utilitarian in nature."--Publisher's description

In this vivid and highly original reading of recent Chinese history, Xuelei Huang documents the eclectic array of smells that permeated Chinese life from the High Qing through to the Mao period. Utilising interdisciplinary methodology and critically engaging with scholarship in the expanding fields of sensory and smell studies, she shows how this period of tumultuous change in China was experienced through the body and the senses. Drawing on unexplored archival materials, readers are introduced to the 'smellscapes' of China from the eighteenth to mid-twentieth century via perfumes, food, body odours, public health projects, consumerism and cosmetics, travel literature, fiction and political language. This pioneering and evocative study takes the reader on a sensory journey through modern Chinese history, examining the ways in which the experience of scent and modernity have intertwined

This essential, richly researched book provides the first comprehensive history of India-China interactions in the broader contexts of Asian and world history. Sen fills a striking gap in the study of India and China by tracing their connected histories in a global setting.

In this essay in the special issue on the Sino-Canadian relationship, the author presents a historical discussion of the political terra incognita of China to argue that a broad perspective of Chinas international history will offer more understanding than the study of discrete policy episodes. Chinese economic & political roles are traced through the historical era as the Asian Middle Kingdom, the impacts of British colonization, & the changing Sino-American relationship. The efforts to build an independent Canadian policy are contextualized in the WWII & Cold War policies, & the creation of a modernized Asian-Pacific multilateral organization is prescribed. The author concludes that Chinas return to political & economic power will require a fundamental rethinking about world affairs based on the knowledge of Chinese international history. J. Harwell