My First Trip to China: Scholars, Diplomats and Journalists Reflect on their First Encounters with China
Posted: November 19th, 2012 | No Comments »This book, My First Trip to China, has been out for a while I think but now has a wider Asian distribution via Hong Kong University Press – all you Old China Hands who read this blog may find it of some interest…
“To collect the stories of first encounters with China was a brilliant idea. Not only do we get the benefit of many fascinating insights (and hindsights) from a range of foreigners and overseas Chinese, but these deftly edited views from the outside make up one great story: the history of Communist China. More than a history of one damned thing happening after another, however, this is a history of perceptions, lies, myths and revelations, as much about China as her rulers wish it to be seen, as about those who chose to see China, more and sometimes less clearly, over the last half century.” — Ian Buruma, author of Bad Elements
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Thirty leading China experts—ranging from Perry Link, Andrew Nathan and Jonathan Mirsky to W.J.F. Jenner, Lois Wheeler Snow and Morton Abramowitz—recount their first visits to China, recalling their initial observations and impressions. Most first traveled to China when it was still closed to the world, or was just beginning to open. Their subsequent opinions, writings and policies have shaped the Western relationship with China for more than a generation. This is essential reading for those who want to understand the evolution of Western attitudes toward modern China. At the same time, this collection provides a vivid, personal window onto a fascinating period in Chinese history.
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