China and the Manchus edition by Herbert Allen Giles Religion Spirituality eBooks
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In an illustrated Chinese work of the fourteenth century, of which the Cambridge University Library possesses the only known copy, we read that they reached this spot, originally the home of the Su-shên tribe, as fugitives from Korea; further, that careless of death and prizing valour only, they carried naked knives about their persons, never parting from them by day or night, and that they were as "poisonous" as wolves or tigers. They also tattooed their faces, and at marriage their mouths. By the close of the ninth century the Nü-chêns had become subject to the neighbouring Kitans, then under the rule of the vigorous Kitan chieftain, Opaochi, who, in 907, proclaimed himself Emperor of an independent kingdom with the dynastic title of Liao, said to mean "iron," and who at once entered upon that long course of aggression against China and encroachment upon her territory which was to result in the practical division of the empire between the two powers, with the Yellow River as boundary, Kʽai-fêng as the Chinese capital, and Peking, now for the first time raised to the status of a metropolis, as the Kitan capital. Hitherto, the Kitans had recognised China as their suzerain; they are first mentioned in Chinese history in A.D. 468, when they sent ambassadors to court, with tribute. Turning now to China, the famous House of Sung, the early years of which were so full of promise of national prosperity, and which is deservedly associated with one of the two most brilliant periods in Chinese literature, was founded in 960. Korea was then forced, in order to protect herself from the encroachments of China, to accept the hated supremacy of the Kitans; but being promptly called upon to surrender large tracts of territory, she suddenly entered into an alliance with the Nü-chêns, who were also ready to revolt, and who sent an army to the assistance of their new friends. The Nü-chên and Korean armies, acting in concert, inflicted a severe defeat on the Kitans, and from this victory may be dated the beginning of the Nü-chên power. China had indeed already sent an embassy to the Nü-chêns, suggesting an alliance and also a combination with Korea, by which means the aggression of the Kitans might easily be checked; but during the eleventh century Korea became alienated from the Nü-chêns, and even went so far as to advise China to join with the Kitans in crushing the Nü-chêns. China, no doubt, would have been glad to get rid of both of these troublesome neighbours, especially the Kitans, who were gradually filching territory from the empire, and driving the Chinese out of the southern portion of the province of Chihli.
China and the Manchus edition by Herbert Allen Giles Religion Spirituality eBooks
The author of this book, Professor Herbert Allen Giles (1845 - 1935) was a British diplomat officially stationed in China between 1880-1893. Unlike many ivory tower academics, he had the real life experience to develop an in-depth understanding of China and the Manchus.(I summarized the relevant history in the following paragraph. Feel free to skip it if you know it already.
Between 1640s - 1911, the Manchus, a northern tribe skilled in warfare occupied the Chinese land and became the ruling class in China as emperors of the "Qing" Dynasty. The Han people, although the vast majority of Chinese population, were treated as 2nd class citizens with limited rights. In the early days, there were wise and tolerant Qing emperors who did not stir up the ethnic tension, going as far as allowing the rumors that certain Qing emperors may have Han ancestors. However, as time went on, Qing Dynasty becamse more corrupt internally and inept against foreign military powers. A particularly corrupt ruler in early 1900's, Empress Dowager Cixi, considered surrending to the foreigners as a better option than giving basic rights to the Chinese, justifying such action as "it's better to give this country away to neighbors than wasting it on household slaves." The common Chinese people rose up with the slogan "kick out the barbarians and return China to the Chinese." This led to the 1911 Chinese nationalist revolution, which effectively ended the Qing Dynasty and the rule of Manchus.)
This book was written in 1912, shortly after the Chinese nationalist revolution. I approached this book with reservation, expecting certain colonial bias given the age of book. However, I am very pleasantly surprised by what I have found in this book.
First, Professor Giles wrote this book with a neutral, conversational tone. He saw the subjects of his writing as real human beings, portraying them with respect, understanding, and a slightly dry sense of humor. No matter whether the person mentioned happened to be a Manchu emperor, a Han peasant, a British ambassador or anyone in between, he treated them as the individuals with varying motivations, personal quirks, and characters with human strength or weakness. In fact, a British official was portrayed as inflexible and arrogant(even quoting Napoleon's comment on this matter), while a Chinese official who opposed the British dumping of opium to China was described as a just and respected man. The reader does not finish this book with a sense of who the heroes or villains were, but a better understanding of human actions and their historical context.
Second, this book has covered so much ground (from roughly the 9th century to 1912) with ease. Professor Giles was an excellent writer with a highly engaging style. The book itself is very readable, allowing me to finish it in a few hours. I can't say the same with most history books, which have a tendency to put people to sleep rather quickly. Granted, I had some background in Chinese history, but many fresh facts still jumped out at me and kept me interested throughout. The reader will be informed as well as entertained.
Last, but not the least, Professor Giles was an enlightened and open-minded man not just for his times, but for ours. There was no sense of racial or cultural superiority, or a sense of exaggeration in his writing. He did not fear, hate, envy, or blindly admire anyone simply because of their racial or ethnic background or affiliation. His writing is free of modern political correctness, as he did not try to justify, excuse or apologize as a group, not for the Manchus, not for the Chinese, and not even for his countrymen. He did not try to elevate one culture over another, and did not allow a "victim card" to be played. By not falling into these political correctness traps, he remained a reasoned voice, a careful observer and a friendly guide for anyone who may be interested in reading this book.
P.S. please note the frequent use of the term "China man" in this book does not mean that the author was a racist. The English language evolves over time, and something that may sound derogatory today did not necessarily have the same meaning 100 years ago.
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China and the Manchus edition by Herbert Allen Giles Religion Spirituality eBooks Reviews
Very informative, factual and well written
Building up my library so no time to read-then-review but looks good at first glance. Sorry I can't be of more help but it will be a while before I do. The title caught my eye!
This is a well written history about a time and place that is little known to me. As I didn't have a China History file in my head, it was not possible for me to weave the this material into that file. It's a little dry as history sometimes is, but for a novice in the history of China this might be a good book to start with. The writing is clean and clear. I just know so little about China that it is difficult for me process the information.
John Beyerlein
Liz & Dick
Herbet brings an outsider's view to History of last dynasty of China. Book is short and writing style is interesting. It's kind of obvious that author's thinking is colored by his country's imperial status and nationalism. So same acts which may be considered barbaric by Chinese are described in "Business as usual" tone by him.
However it still takes nothing away from an enjoyable reading of history. If one wants to get acquainted with part of China's history in a very short period of time, this is a good place.
As someone who knew very little about the history of China, the Manchu arrival and take-over was a very interesting read to me. The author did a great job of bringing you in to the history and providing detail. The author obviously really knew his stuff.
1,206 locations long. Not a massive work, but a fun read.
The author of this book, Professor Herbert Allen Giles (1845 - 1935) was a British diplomat officially stationed in China between 1880-1893. Unlike many ivory tower academics, he had the real life experience to develop an in-depth understanding of China and the Manchus.
(I summarized the relevant history in the following paragraph. Feel free to skip it if you know it already.
Between 1640s - 1911, the Manchus, a northern tribe skilled in warfare occupied the Chinese land and became the ruling class in China as emperors of the "Qing" Dynasty. The Han people, although the vast majority of Chinese population, were treated as 2nd class citizens with limited rights. In the early days, there were wise and tolerant Qing emperors who did not stir up the ethnic tension, going as far as allowing the rumors that certain Qing emperors may have Han ancestors. However, as time went on, Qing Dynasty becamse more corrupt internally and inept against foreign military powers. A particularly corrupt ruler in early 1900's, Empress Dowager Cixi, considered surrending to the foreigners as a better option than giving basic rights to the Chinese, justifying such action as "it's better to give this country away to neighbors than wasting it on household slaves." The common Chinese people rose up with the slogan "kick out the barbarians and return China to the Chinese." This led to the 1911 Chinese nationalist revolution, which effectively ended the Qing Dynasty and the rule of Manchus.)
This book was written in 1912, shortly after the Chinese nationalist revolution. I approached this book with reservation, expecting certain colonial bias given the age of book. However, I am very pleasantly surprised by what I have found in this book.
First, Professor Giles wrote this book with a neutral, conversational tone. He saw the subjects of his writing as real human beings, portraying them with respect, understanding, and a slightly dry sense of humor. No matter whether the person mentioned happened to be a Manchu emperor, a Han peasant, a British ambassador or anyone in between, he treated them as the individuals with varying motivations, personal quirks, and characters with human strength or weakness. In fact, a British official was portrayed as inflexible and arrogant(even quoting Napoleon's comment on this matter), while a Chinese official who opposed the British dumping of opium to China was described as a just and respected man. The reader does not finish this book with a sense of who the heroes or villains were, but a better understanding of human actions and their historical context.
Second, this book has covered so much ground (from roughly the 9th century to 1912) with ease. Professor Giles was an excellent writer with a highly engaging style. The book itself is very readable, allowing me to finish it in a few hours. I can't say the same with most history books, which have a tendency to put people to sleep rather quickly. Granted, I had some background in Chinese history, but many fresh facts still jumped out at me and kept me interested throughout. The reader will be informed as well as entertained.
Last, but not the least, Professor Giles was an enlightened and open-minded man not just for his times, but for ours. There was no sense of racial or cultural superiority, or a sense of exaggeration in his writing. He did not fear, hate, envy, or blindly admire anyone simply because of their racial or ethnic background or affiliation. His writing is free of modern political correctness, as he did not try to justify, excuse or apologize as a group, not for the Manchus, not for the Chinese, and not even for his countrymen. He did not try to elevate one culture over another, and did not allow a "victim card" to be played. By not falling into these political correctness traps, he remained a reasoned voice, a careful observer and a friendly guide for anyone who may be interested in reading this book.
P.S. please note the frequent use of the term "China man" in this book does not mean that the author was a racist. The English language evolves over time, and something that may sound derogatory today did not necessarily have the same meaning 100 years ago.
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