The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800, Third Edition (Critical Issues in World and International History) - Hardcover

PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS In this admirable introduction to the great period of China's interactions with the West, D. E. Mungello condenses a lifetime of study into a concise and accessible form. Especially valuable are his analyses of mutual artisticinfluences, of theories of language and race, and of the internal rivalries that split both Chinese intellectuals and the Catholic Church... -- Jonathan Spence, Yale University PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS The brevity of Mungello's book might suggest that it was meant only for freshmen-level surveys of world history or Chinese and/or Western history; however, this book, with its wealth of information and insight, can well serveupper-level students embarking on a more in-depth study of the problem of Sino-Western cultural interaction and interpretation, and general readers who seek to enhance their understanding of China and the profound misunderstandings that have so frequentlycharacterized Sino-Western encounter in the past... This [study] is the product of considerable erudition as well as interpretive sensitivity... China Review International PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Mungello has written an excellent summary on Chinese-Western relations (1500-1800). An essential book for historical, theological, and mission libraries, graduate and undergraduate students... Catholic Historical Review PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Ingenious textbook ... stepping back into the period 1500-1800 must represent the wave of the future, and it is good to see such a thought-provoking example of the practice here already... Bulletin Of The School Of Oriental And African Studies (SOAS) PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Mungello's work provides a welcome addition to the literature on the early period of the Sino-Western encounter... Mungello combines admirable concision with astute insights into the complexities of class, culture, and religion, both within China and among the Westerners vying for trade, influence, and souls there... CHOICE PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS ...a very good book. It is well written and interesting. Journal Of Oriental Studies PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Small wonder that the admirable Jonathan Spence himself praises this book as an 'admirable introduction to the great period of China's interactions with the West'. Professor Mungello's work is a virtual parade of scholarly observations and analyses of an intricate series of ethereal intercultural exchanges between Ming and Manchu China, and Enlightenment Europe. He interprets these three centuries of give-and-take through the lenses of religion and the arts. His work is chock-full of widely revealing detail of the cultural, intellectual, and religious interplay that had, at times, as much effect on the contributor as the recipient. Journal of World History PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS I was impressed with the author's erudition and facile writing. The book is scholarly, clear and interesting-a marvelous achievement that makes it ideal for my students. -- Anthony P. DiPerna, Molloy College PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Mungello, one of the world's leading authorities on early modern Sino-Western cultural relations, draws on his own lifelong research and mature interpretive views as well as the work of other scholars to provide us with a concise but rich analysis. -- Daniel H. Bays, University of Kansas PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Mungello's book presents a lucid, concise, and absorbing account of the first great intellectual encounter between China and Europe, which is both fully accessible to the general reader and challenging to specialists. Not only is it the best available synthetic treatment of this large and important subject, but it also covers facets of the great encounter that are often neglected, such as the aesthetic. -- John Henderson, Louisiana State University PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS No one is more qualified to deal with the Encounter of China and the West from 1500 to 1800 than D. E. Mungello, who has devoted a lifetime to its study and indeed has long since established himself as the prime leader in Sino-Western studies in America. -- Wm. Theodore de Bary, Columbia University PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS I am impressed with the depth of the scholarship which informs the descriptions, generalizations, and judgments presented so lucidly in the text. While its subject matter is serious and sometimes complex, it is clearly written in an engaging style and is easily understandable. -- Edwin Van Kley, Calvin College

For the Chinese, the 2008 Beijing Olympics were far more than a sports event. They were part of an ongoing effort to restore China's past greatness and remove the lingering memories of history's humiliations. This widely praised book explores the 1500-1800 period before China's decline, when the country was widely viewed as a leading world culture and power. Europe, by contrast, was in the early stages of emerging from provincial to international status while the United States was still an uncharted wilderness. D. E. Mungello argues that this earlier era, ironically, may contain more relevance for today than the more recent past. This fully revised third edition retains the clear and concise quality of its predecessors, while adding striking illustrations and new scholarship on female infanticide in China and the sometimes tragic stories of Chinese visitors to eighteenth-century Europe. Drawing on the author's decades of research and teaching, this compelling book illustrates the vital importance of history to readers trying to understand today's world.