The period between 1840 and 1949 was a tumultuous one for China. The last Qing Emperor officially abdicated the throne in 1912 and the years following that were full of trials and tribulations. Sun Yat-sen was an important figure who had a major role in shaping China's modern history. There were also many other players in the fight for political power in China. Yuan Shikai, the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were just some of them. This engaging book provides readers with descriptive articles and information on key figures and events that occurred in China from 1840 to 1949. Understanding the impact they had on China's modern history will give readers a better grasp of China's politics today.
Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan are all familiar names from the Age of Exploration (1400–1550). Columbus is known for discovering America; Vasco da Gama is the first European to sail to India; and Magellan is believed to have completed the first circumnavigation of the globe. Such common-sense knowledge has met a serious challenge with new findings related to the great Chinese navigator and explorer Cheng Ho (1371–1435). Over a span of 28 years from 1405 to 1433, he directed seven large-scale voyages to the western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and left his mark in over 30 countries in Southeast Asia, West Asia and East Africa. Historians have even suggested that Cheng Ho and his massive fleet could have made their way to America and Australia. How much do you know about Cheng Ho and the voyages he commanded? When and how did these voyages take place? What influences have these historic voyages exerted on the places Cheng Ho had set his feet on? In what aspects is Cheng Ho different from the European explorers? Check out the Ambassador of Peace in this book!
Named as one of the Four Main Classical Novels of China, A Dream of Red Mansions is the only novel to address the role of women in China's history. The tragic romance, set in the powerful Jia clan, has captivated readers for centuries. Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu are the protagonists of this story. An effeminate young man, Baoyu grew up in the company of the women in the Jia clan and does not fit into the traditional archetype of a strong, masculine patriarch. Though seemingly weak and fragile, Daiyu, Baoyu's cousin, embodies an unyielding independent streak in her attempt to find her place in the Rong Mansion. Despite their differences, these two characters find comfort and love in each other, united by their inability to fit into the expectations of feudal China. Framing their story are the other members of the household: Wang Xifeng, Baoyu's manipulative cousin-in-law; Baochai, another cousin of Baoyu's who is destined to marry him; and Jia Zheng, Baoyu's strict father. Witness the ways of an aristocratic family that takes their luxuries for granted, and find out that life in the Red Mansions is nothing more than an unsustainable dream!
Ever hard-working and resourceful, the Chinese have always explored various raw materials to provide for their daily necessities. In the process, they invented things of practical use (mirrors and umbrellas) and economic value (silk and porcelain). In fact, the porcelain became so well loved that Westerners decided to call the country that produced china 'China'! Today, China's great treasury also contains bronzeware, jade carving, embroidery, ornamental knots, paper cuttings, snuff bottles and face masks. Learn about these interesting details and more: * The Silk Route as well as the Pottery and Porcelain Route of old China. * The multitude of Chinese characters and idioms related to jade. * Bronze artefacts unearthed at Qin burial site.
The scale and variety of Chinese festivals have never ceased to amaze observers. But what are the origins of these festivals and how do they reflect traditional values in a civilisation with more than 5,000 years of history? The reader will be intrigued to learn that the festivals did not all originate at the same time. In fact, many have evolved with the development of the Chinese civilisation. The presentation of the stories about these traditional festivals in comics will help the reader to appreciate their celebrations through the ages.
Wang follows the Chinese Communist Party's ideological re-education of the public through the exploitation of China's humiliating modern history, tracking the CCP's use of history education to glorify the party, re-establish its legitimacy, consolidate national identity, and justify one-party rule in the post-Tiananmen and post-Cold War era.
Adventurous young readers will get a whirlwind tour of the world's biggest country with this book about China, taking a look at its people, its landscape, its culture, and what the future holds. Read about the Great Wall, the Yangtze River, and more! Stunning photographs combine with lively illustrations and engaging, age-appropriate stories in DK Readers, a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge. With DK Readers, children will learn to read—then read to learn!
**Selected for Doody's Core Titles® 2024 in Complementary & Integrative Health** Get a solid, global foundation of the therapies and evidence-based clinical applications of CAI. Fundamentals of Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine, 6th Edition is filled with the most up-to-date information on scientific theory and research of holistic medicine from experts around the world. The 6th edition of this acclaimed text includes all new content on quantum biology and biofields in health and nursing, integrative mental health care, and homeopathic medicine. Its wide range of topics explores therapies most commonly seen in the U.S., such as energy medicine, mind-body therapies, and reflexology along with traditional medicine and practices from around the world. With detailed coverage of historic and contemporary applications, this text is a solid resource for all practitioners in the medical, health, and science fields! - Coverage of CAI therapies and systems includes those most commonly encountered or growing in popularity, so you can carefully evaluate each treatment. - An evidence-based approach focuses on treatments best supported by clinical trials and scientific evidence. - Observations from mechanisms of action to evidence of clinical efficacy answers questions of how, why, and when CAM therapies work. - A unique synthesis of information, including historical usage, cultural and social analysis, current basic science theory and research, and a wide range of clinical investigations and observations, makes this text a focused, authoritative resource. - Global coverage includes discussions of traditional healing arts from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. - Clinical guides for selecting therapies, and new advances for matching the appropriate therapy to the individual patient, enables you to offer and/or recommend individualized patient care. - Expert contributors include well-known writers such as Kevin Ergil, Patch Adams, Joseph Pizzorno, and Marc Micozzi. - A unique history of CAI traces CAM therapies from their beginnings to present day practices. - Suggested readings and references on the companion website list the best resources for further research and study.
The book offers a new approach to the discussion on the issue of Chinese national identity, providing new insights in how identity is constructed and contested. These issues are of vital concern for the understanding of contemporary China and its national consciousness.
Recent events—from strife in Tibet and the rapid growth of Christianity in China to the spectacular expansion of Chinese Buddhist organizations around the globe—vividly demonstrate that one cannot understand the modern Chinese world without attending closely to the question of religion. The Religious Question in Modern China highlights parallels and contrasts between historical events, political regimes, and cultural movements to explore how religion has challenged and responded to secular Chinese modernity, from 1898 to the present. Vincent Goossaert and David A. Palmer piece together the puzzle of religion in China not by looking separately at different religions in different contexts, but by writing a unified story of how religion has shaped, and in turn been shaped by, modern Chinese society. From Chinese medicine and the martial arts to communal temple cults and revivalist redemptive societies, the authors demonstrate that from the nineteenth century onward, as the Chinese state shifted, the religious landscape consistently resurfaced in a bewildering variety of old and new forms. The Religious Question in Modern China integrates historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives in a comprehensive overview of China’s religious history that is certain to become an indispensible reference for specialists and students alike.
