In more than 2,000 pages of alphabetical entries, each ranging from 500 to 5,000 words, Encyclopedia of Modern China provides critical information on the most populous country and most dynamic trade market in the world: the people, politics, economics, religion, philosophy, traditions, art, and literature of this ancient and enduring civilization is explored from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present day.
Given China's increasing role in world affairs, its modern history and culture are of great interest to many, and this work is designed to bring reliable and accessible facts and analysis to students, professionals, and others who study and interact with China and her people.
2010 - ALA Dartmouth Medal Honorable Mention Citation
"In this monumental, four-volume set, more than 900 entries and sidebars are organized under 28 major themes on China\'s history, culture, and society. Gale also offers an online version, desirable for its easy access and the potential for more-frequent updates. Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers."
"The emphasis here is on China since 1800. Pong (Delaware) has used 500 international authors to write 936 entries and sidebars, enhanced with hundreds of color photos, maps, tables, and graphs. From daily life and the banking system to the explosive economic growth over the last 30 years, it\'s all here, along with the arts, government, health care, and popular culture. "
"Both authoritative and highly accessible, this encyclopedia is strongly recommended for academic, public and high-school libraries.. "
"This scholarly encyclopedia explores the development of modern China from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present. The 936 essays and sidebars describe the principal cultural, geographic and political features of world's most populous nation. Over 500 scholars participated in the production of this comprehensive encyclopedia. The entries range from surveys of important movements, events and people to broad investigations of art, literature, international relations, political divisions and education.\nThese substantial essays build on each other. Each entry contains recommendations for further research, and hundreds of full-color maps and illustrations support the text. A substantial selection of 53 primary documents illustrates changes in the intellectual attitudes affecting Chinese government from the Treaty of Nanking to the Charter 2008 manifesto calling for a more democratic China. Other supplemental materials include lists of treaties, an annotated general bibliography, and a glossary of Chinese characters. The recent Berkshire Encyclopedia of China (Berkshire, 2009) took as its scope all of Chinese history. In comparison, the Encyclopedia of Modern China provides greater depth on the past two centuries as well as the current directions that China is taking as a nation and a people. From the Opium War to Tiananmen Square, this outstanding tool should be the first stop to begin academic research. It is also highly recommended for those high school and public libraries that can afford it."
"Though Encyclopedia of Modern China was conceived as a specialized scholarly resource, it is accessible for secondary students, and few libraries have enough up-to-date resources on China. This exceptional resource collocates much of what is known by the West about China, including in some areas what the editors represent as new research. Each article is definitive about its relevant time span: post-1800 for cultural articles and post-1978 for economic and political ones. One article provides an elegant exploration of Chinese data sources with regard to both quality and compilation methods. There are many strong entries about art history, architecture and archaeology. Information about daily life includes clothing, food, family, even hairstyles, and more than 40 pages are devoted to education. Entries on China's censorship of the Internet, the role of public archives and newspapers may appear dystopian when contrasted with democratic systems. The illustrations, particularly those taken from commercial art, are interesting, though there seem to be fewer pictures of individual cultural and political leaders than would appear in most Western encyclopedias of this variety. Each volume includes a list of maps, and the last volume is supplemented with an exceptional collection of more than 120 pages of collected primary source documents, beginning with a letter of advice to Queen Victoria and ending with a letter indicting the government approach to modernization that was signed by more than 300 Chinese intellectuals in 2008. Supplementary materials include tabular data reflecting Chinese treaties and diplomatic recognition since 1800, a glossary translating the Romanized names contained within Chinese characters, an extensive annotated bibliography and a 112-page index. Recommended for both school and public libraries."