In 1950 the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China signed a Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance to foster cultural and technological cooperation between the Soviet bloc and the PRC. While this treaty was intended as a break with the colonial past, Austin Jersild argues that the alliance ultimately failed because the enduring problem of Russian imperialism led to Chinese frustration with the Soviets.Jersild zeros in on the ground-level experiences of the socialist bloc advisers in China, who were involved in everything from the development of university curricula, the exploration for oil, and railway construction to piano lessons. Their goal was to reproduce a Chinese administrative elite in their own image that could serve as a valuable ally in the Soviet bloc's struggle against the United States. Interestingly, the USSR's allies in Central Europe were as frustrated by the "great power chauvinism" of the Soviet Union as was China. By exposing this aspect of the story, Jersild shows how the alliance, and finally the split, had a true international dimension.

Product Description: Providing comprehensive coverage of a variety of Asian American cultural forms, including folk tradition, literature, religion, education, politics, sports, and popular culture, this two-volume work is an ideal resource for students and general readers that reveals the historical, regional, and ethnic diversity within specific traditions...read more

Book by Jurmain

This updated and expanded new edition of Chinese Foreign Policy examines the patterns of engagement with various domestic and international actors that have shaped Beijing’s foreign policy since the Cold War. It explores a series of ongoing questions and trends, as well as offering an in-depth look at the key areas of China’s modern global relations. Bringing together the many different facets of China’s foreign interests, the volume presents a comprehensive overview of the country’s international affairs, covering such key issues as: -the rise of globalisation, international financial uncertainty, and China’s economic power -the country’s bilateral and multilateral approaches to international problem-solving -China’s engagement in various regional and international regimes -modern strategic challenges, including terrorism and economic security -the question of shifting American power -Beijing’s changing political, strategic and economic linkages with the developed and developing world. Chinese Foreign Policy will be of great interest to upper-level students of Chinese international relations, Asian politics, comparative foreign policy and international relations, as well as professionals interested in China’s changing place in the global system.

Product Description: In 1654 Zen Master Yinyuan traveled from China to Japan. Seven years later his monastery, Manpukuji, was built and he had founded a new tradition, called Obaku. In this sequel to his 2008 book, Enlightenment in Dispute, Jiang Wu tells the story of the tremendous obstacles faced by Yinyuan, drawing parallels between his experiences and the broader political and cultural context in which he lived...read more

Product Description: Combining transcultural and comparative approaches, the essays collected here exemplify the emerging field of German-Asian studies. Here, specialists examine the multi-faceted ties between the various German states and China over the past two centuries, as well as more personal relationships during an important period in both countries' histories...read more

Product Description: This collection discusses China's contemporary national and international identity as evidenced in its geopolitical impact on the countries in its direct periphery and its functioning in organizations of global governance. This contemporary identity is assessed against the background of the country's Confucian and nationalist history...read more

Product Description: After centuries of virtual isolation, during which time international sea travel was forbidden outside of Japan’s immediate fishing shores, Japanese shogunal authorities in 1862 made the unprecedented decision to launch an official delegation to China by sea...read more

Product Description: Exploiting Africa examines China’s role in Algeria, Ghana, and Tanzania from the 1950s to the 1970s. The Chinese arrived in Africa with little fanfare, yet they achieved an active presence that was more pragmatic than revolutionary...read more

Product Description: "From the cry of a tiny insect, one can hear the sound of a vast world. . . ."So begins Zhang Daye’s preface to The World of a Tiny Insect, his haunting memoir of war and its aftermath. In 1861, when China’s devastating Taiping rebellion began, Zhang was seven years old...read more

Product Description: In this concise historical and conceptual analysis of China's evolving position in a world defined predominantly by global capitalist development, Lin offers a critical review of relevant debates and discusses the imperative and feasibility of a socialist Chinese model, reconstructed, as an alternative to standardized modernity at an impasse...read more

Product Description: Developed by an international team of historians, sociologists, political scientists and economists, this collection is the most comprehensive reader of the history of Sino-Italian relations currently available in the English language.

Product Description: This historical investigation describes the Qing imperial authorities’ attempts to consolidate control over the Zhongjia, a non-Han population, in eighteenth-century Guizhou, a poor, remote, and environmentally harsh province in Southwest China...read more

Product Description: The gripping story of post-Mao China and the harrowing fate of the artist and activist Ai WeiweiIn October 2010, Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds appeared in the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern. In April 2011, he was arrested and held for more than two months in terrible conditions...read more