Roads to Chinese Modernity: Civilisation and National Culture
- Description
- About the Author
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What is China? While many perceive it as a rising power challenging Western dominance, eminent historian Professor Gungwu Wang posits that the country has no ambitions on that front. In this illuminating book comprised of edited transcripts of selected lectures, it offers his interpretation of the answer.
He traces China's roots as an ancient, borderless Sinic civilisation with a distinctive past that has been a source of strength. Following the establishment of the concept of a nation-state in the late 18th century, its identity was eventually forced to change from dynastic rule to a republic. Revolution and reform characterised much of the evolution, compelling it to define a national culture that would propel it down the road of progress and enable it to take its rightful place on the world stage. Interspersed with observations from his position as an overseas Chinese, this collection of insights is a must-read for anyone keen to understand China better.
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Professor Wang Gungwu has been a University Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) since 2007, and Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) since 1988. He is best known for his explorations of Chinese history in the long view, and his writings on the Chinese diaspora.
Some of his notable past positions at universities include Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Malaya; Head of the Department of Far Eastern History and Director of the Research School of Pacific Studies at ANU; Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hong Kong; and Director of the East Asian Institute under NUS. Professor Wang is currently serving as a Senior Fellow at the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Adviser to the Ministry of Education's Social Science Research Council.
Professor Wang holds several appointments in organisations around the world, including Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Science, Academician of Academia Sinica, Honorary Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Fellow at the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He was conferred various international awards, such as the International Academic Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes in 1994 and the Tang Prize in Sinology in 2020. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 2020 by the Government of Singapore.
Cover Type: Hardcover, Paperback
Page Count: 312
Year Published: 2025
Language: English