The Last Fifty Years of the Late Qing Dynasty

Name: The Last Fifty Years of the Late Qing Dynasty
ISBN: 9787541540806

Tong ChaoYunnan Education Publishing House · ChinaApr 2017

3.6

Word count: 149K words
Chapters: 60
ISBN: 9787541540806

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Summary

In the final fifty years of the Qing dynasty, as Li Hongzhang described it, China faced 'a transformation unseen in thousands of years' against 'enemies of a strength unknown for millennia.' It was the prelude to China's rise: new problems, new things, new atmospheres, and new currents of thought began to emerge amid the stumbling of the late Qing. At the same time, these fifty years witnessed the decline and collapse of China's feudal dynastic order. Under the pressures of internal turmoil and foreign invasion, old ideas, old customs, old institutions, and old systems were swept away by the new tide and cast into the dust of history.

Editor's review

Edited by historian Tong Chao and published by Yunnan Education Publishing House, *The Last Fifty Years of the Qing Dynasty* is a thematic work focused on the critical transitional period in modern Chinese history from 1840 to 1911. Rather than a simple chronological narrative, it is problem-oriented, probing the complex process by which the Qing dynasty declined amid internal and external crises after the Opium War. In the editors' assessment, the book's greatest value lies in its clear structure and diverse perspectives: it covers major events such as the Taiping Rebellion, the Self-Strengthening Movement, the Sino-Japanese War, the Hundred Days' Reform, the Boxer Uprising, and the 1911 Revolution, while also exploring changes in socioeconomic structure, intellectual and cultural transformation, and everyday life, sketching a three-dimensional, dynamic panorama of late Qing society. The narrative maintains scholarly rigor while striving for clear prose, avoiding overly abstruse textual criticism; it suits readers who want a systematic understanding of this period rather than fragmented knowledge. Its evaluations of many historical figures and events offer a balanced, evidence-based perspective, helping readers move beyond simple binary narratives to grasp the complexity of the historical process.

Who it's for

A good fit for

History enthusiasts interested in modern Chinese history, especially the social transformation of 1840–1911.
Readers who want to systematically trace the course of late Qing history and build an overall framework.
Readers curious about the causes of the Qing decline and the lessons of failed modernization attempts.
University students in history, sociology, and related fields, as useful supplementary reading.

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or novelistic historical stories; this is a serious historical work.
Readers interested only in Qing court scandals or anecdotes about individual figures.

Reading tips

Read in chapter order to follow the chronological logic and causal links of historical development.
Use the maps, chronologies, and other supplementary materials to strengthen your sense of space and time.
For key events or figures, take notes or consult other sources to deepen understanding.

About the publisher

Yunnan Education Publishing House China · Founded in 1985

Yunnan Education Publishing House focuses on educational services, publishing textbooks and supplementary teaching materials, educational theory, and books on ethnic cultures. Judging from the nine titles in the database, its range also extends into popular reading in military affairs, history, and biography. In the military category there are Ace Weapons, Peak Campaigns, Famous WWII Generals, and Iron-Blooded Warriors; in history and biography, Biographies of Assassins and What Is Love in This World: An Interpretation of the Emotions of Famous Chinese Figures Through the Ages; and in exam preparation, A Quick Breakthrough in Argumentative Essay Points, Evidence, and Reasoning for Middle School Students and A Complete Guide to Composition for Primary School Students. Relevant authors include Sasha, Yang Shaodan, Shen Shichang, Jiang Jing, Li Zichi, Qiao Yameng, Tong Chao, and Lü Ning. Overall, beyond educational publishing, the house also offers accessible books on military affairs, history, and culture, giving its list a character that balances educational value with readability. Because public information is limited, the specific titles in its textbook, supplementary material, and ethnic culture categories cannot be detailed here.

第1章辛酉政变
第2章慈禧太后垂帘听政
第3章总理衙门建立
第4章太平天国的末路
第5章捻军反清
第6章说不尽的曾国藩
第7章 “三千里外觅封侯”的李鸿章
第8章红顶商人胡雪岩
第9章被迷雾笼罩的“刺马案”
第10章杨乃武与“小白菜”案
第11章洋务运动
第12章张之洞与近代重工业
第13章第一位驻外公使的悲情人生
第14章安德海出京
第15章天津教案
第16章孝哲皇后阿鲁特氏
第17章丁戊奇荒
第18章左宗棠收复新疆
第19章刘永福与黑旗军
第20章冯子材大败法军
第21章刘铭传誓守台湾
第22章北洋海军建成
第23章甲午风云
第24章《马关条约》的签订
第25章颐和园建成
第26章列强瓜分势力范围
第27章郑观应“盛世”发危言
第28章公车上书
第29章百日维新
第30章戊戌六君子
第31章百年学府京师大学堂建立
第32章两代帝师翁同
第33章大太监李莲英
第34章珍妃之死
第35章梁启超和新文体
第36章义和团廊坊大捷
第37章八国联军进北京
第38章光绪帝的悲苦人生
第39章一代权臣李鸿章之死
第40章 “中国西学第一人”严复
第41章译者林纾与文学翻译
第42章晚清留学潮
第43章晚清四大谴责小说
第44章《苏报》案
第45章敦煌藏经洞的浩劫
第46章殷墟甲骨惊世再现
第47章孙中山创立同盟会
第48章废除科举制
第49章 “弃官从商”的状元张謇
第50章詹天佑和京张铁路
第51章民主革命家黄兴
第52章鉴湖女侠秋瑾
第53章中国航空第一人冯如
第54章清政府仿行立宪
第55章 “慈禧时代”的落幕
第56章黄花岗七十二烈士
第57章保路运动
第58章武昌起义的枪声
第59章 “蝴蝶舞后”容龄
第60章末代皇帝溥仪

FAQ

Is this an academic monograph or a popular history book?

It sits between the two: a serious history written on the basis of scholarship and aimed at general readers, combining knowledge with readability, though not a novelized dramatization.

Are the book's evaluations of historical figures objective?

Editor Tong Chao and the writing team follow historiographical norms, striving to present multi-angle analysis based on sources. Evaluations aim to be balanced and objective, avoiding caricature and encouraging readers to think about history's many facets.

How does this book differ from other works on late Qing history?

By focusing on a fifty-year span, it is relatively concentrated and in-depth, systematically structured, and covers politics, economy, society, and culture, making it suitable as both an introductory and advanced read on the period.

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About the author

Tong Chao Author · Chinese · 1938

Tong Chao was born in 1938 in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, with ancestral roots in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. He graduated from the Department of History at Peking University and later pursued graduate studies in history at Sichuan University. He long devoted himself to the study of ancient Chinese history, serving as a researcher and deputy director of the Institute of History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as president and editor-in-chief of the journal Chinese Historical Studies, and as vice president of the Chinese Society for the History of Wei, Jin, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. His scholarly work focuses on the history of the feudal land system and the military system in China, and in 1992 he received a special government allowance from the State Council. For general readers, he edited the Visible Chinese History series, which presents China's long history from its earliest beginnings to the Qing dynasty in an illustrated, accessible format. Separate volumes cover the Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms and Southern and Northern Dynasties, and other eras, combining solid historical sources with visual materials in plain language and a clear structure that helps ordinary readers grasp the overall course of ancient Chinese history.