The Lure of Opening the Nation

The Lure of Opening the Nation is the first volume of Zhang Ming Revisits Modern Chinese History, a series by Zhang Ming, professor at Renmin University of China. Its contents grew out of his public course on political history at the university. The book focuses on the two Opium Wars and begins with the prewar configuration of China and the West: on one side the Western "world" formed by the Age of Discovery and the nation-state system; on the other the tianxia (all-under-heaven) order, which regarded itself as the center of the world and was sustained by tribute and investiture. The triangular trade in tea, silver, and opium drew the two systems ever closer until they finally collided head-on. The book goes on to cover the etiquette dispute over the Macartney mission, Lin Zexu's appointment to suppress opium and the destruction of opium at Humen, the debate over going to war in the British Parliament, the awkward position of Qishan, the war fought under thoroughly asymmetric equipment and tactics, Sanyuanli and various folklore, intelligence from Dinghai, the Westerners' conduct of war and their lack of greed for land, and how Qing officials whitewashed the signing of the Treaty of Nanking. The second half turns to the Second Opium War: the dispute over entry into Guangzhou, treaty-revision negotiations, the Arrow Incident, the downfall of Ye Mingchen, the ceremonial dilemma of whether to kneel, the burning of the Old Summer Palace, and finally the Treaty of Beijing and the Qixiang Coup. The author sets out to dismantle the narrative of loyalists and traitors, explaining defeat not by treacherous ministers ruining the state or heroes being wronged, but through institutions, ideas, and governing capacity, asking why the Qing court could neither fight nor bring itself to open the door. At the same time, ordinary people are portrayed as onlookers, their survival strategies and detachment from the nation made visible. Richly illustrated and smoothly narrated, the book seeks to present the opening of modern Chinese history as a passage into the world from which China was forced to open its doors and be drawn in.