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Publish: 時報出版

Tiananmen: Intellectuals and Revolution in China

Tiananmen: Intellectuals and Revolution in China

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MOP$193.00
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The drastic changes in China's destiny over the past century and the vicissitudes of life among the intellectuals of the Republic of China: their hopes and regrets

The historian who tells the best stories——
Shi Jingqian's work that made him famous

"A milestone in Western China studies." - Fairbank

"Shi Jingqian's works must be included in the category of "Historical Records", which is undisputed." - Yu Yingshi

★Los Angeles Times History Book Award
★The New York Times’ top ten non-literary books of the year
★"China Times" good book of the first week
★Golden Tripod Award for Best Translation in Book Category
★Yu Yingshi wrote a preface to the article. Highly praised and recommended

This is a story about Chinese intellectuals, a magnificent epic tragedy and comedy, recording the dramatic changes in China from 1895 to 1980. From the intention of a group of reformers to transform the Qing court at the end of the 19th century, to the royalist and revolutionary factions that led to the downfall of the Qing court; from the confrontation between the republican government and the warlords in the early 20th century, to the great tragedy of the struggle between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party; from China in the 20th century the fall and recovery of the soil, and the radical rural and cultural transformation of the Chinese government. On the one hand, Chinese intellectuals are the driving force behind great changes; on the other hand, they are swallowed up by the waves of great changes. This is an unprecedented tragedy in Chinese history, and during the performance, helpless and self-deprecating comedy was revealed at any time.

Shi Jingqian selected a few of the most representative figures for in-depth discussion, interweaving them into an overall picture of China's spiritual outlook. Among them, Kang Youwei, Lu Xun, Ding Ling and others are the main threads that run through the whole book, while Qiu Jin, Shen Congwen, Qu Qiubai, Xu Zhimo, Wen Yiduo and Lao She are interspersed in different stages to form the "weft". At the intersection of latitude and longitude, there are countless related figures coming in and out at any time, including the inevitable political leaders Sun Wen, Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Jingwei, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, and Deng Xiaoping; and the cultural leaders Zou Rong, Liang Qichao, and Cai Yuanpei who led the trend of the moment. , Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Guo Moruo, Hu Shi, Liang Shuming, Mao Dun, Lin Huiyin, Hu Feng, etc.; even foreign visitors such as Russell, Tagore, Bernard Shaw, etc. are also embellished.

Every character touched in the book has its own unique life style and life force, which is far from what can be presented in a "collective biography". Shi Jingqian used his vivid pen to outline their lives, highlighting the intellectuals' response to the great changes of the times. The exploration and introspection of self-positioning also allows readers to understand a series of unusual events and the "Chinese Revolution" composed of the stack of these events. When this group of characters was involved in the process of violence and rebirth in modern China for hundreds of years, Shi Jingqian used the name "Tiananmen" with rich historical and cultural connotations to travel through a century, summoning the blossoming literati thoughts and the spirit of the times.

The name of the whole book "Tiananmen" shows that he has keenly realized:
The historical function of Tiananmen Square is undergoing earth-shaking changes.
It can even be said that he had foreseen the tragedy of the massacre in front of Tiananmen ten years later.
--Yu Yingshi

9789571366241

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