简又文

Jian Youwen is an important scholar in the fields of modern Chinese history and the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Public information about his personal life and educational background is limited, yet his surviving works reveal his scholarly orientation. Three of his works are included here, spanning historical reading and biography: the five-volume selected history of modern China examines key transformations from the late Qing to the Republican era through thematic studies; The History of the Taiping Revolutionary Movement reflects his long-standing archival interest in this peasant uprising; and The Biography of Feng Yuxiang presents the complex figure of a Republican-era military and political leader. Jian's writing combines documentary research with narrative, remaining plain and free of empty theorizing, balancing professional scholarship and accessible reading, and offering a useful reference for later readers seeking to understand modern China's upheaval and transformation.