To Change China

Description

From “the best known and most talented historian of China writing in English today” (Los Angeles Times), an examination of a diverse collection of Western foreigners who attempted “to change China”
 
“To change China” was the goal of foreign missionaries, soldiers, doctors, teachers, engineers, and revolutionaries for more than three hundred years. But the Chinese, while eagerly accepting Western technical advice, clung steadfastly to their own religious and cultural traditions. As a new era of relations between China and the United States begins, the tales in this volume will serve as cautionary histories for businessmen, diplomats, students, or any other foreigners who foolishly believe that they can transform this vast, enigmatic country.To Change China – Jonathan D. Spence List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Schall and Verbiest: To God Through the Stars
2. Peter Parker: Bodies or Souls
3. Ward and Gordon: Glorious Days of Looting
4. Lay and Hart: Power, Patronage, Pay
5. Martin and Fryer: Trimming the Lamps
6. Edward Hume: Yale for China
7. Mikhail Borodin: Life in the Sun
8. Todd and Bethune: Overcome All Terrors
9. Chennault, Stilwell, Wedemeyer: A Compass for Shangri-La
10. The Last Rounds: U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.
Chapter Notes
IndexPraise for To Change China:
 
“Serious historical entertainment at its best.”
—The New York Times Book Review
 
“A fascinating book . . . Mr. Spence has given these careers fascinating first-person detail. He is a skilled craftsman.”
—The New York Review of BooksJonathan Spence (1936-2021): Was the author of more than a dozen well-regarded books “which illuminate China’s vast history through details that illuminated bigger pictures and themes. (The New York Times)” including  The Gate of Heavenly Peace, Treason by the Book, and The Death of Woman Wang. His awards include a Guggenheim and a MacArthur Fellowship. He was Sterling Professor of History at Yale University from 1993 to 2008.US