 First edition cover | |
| Author | Jonathan Fenby |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | History of China since 1850 |
| Genre | Popular history |
| Publisher | Allen Lane |
Publication date | 2008 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 768 pages |
| ISBN | 978-0-7139-9832-0 |
| OCLC | 212431401 |
| 951.033 | |
| LC Class | DS755 .F414 2008 |
The Penguin History of Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850 to the Present is a non-fiction book about the history of China by Jonathan Fenby. The popular history book was published in 2008 by Allen Lane. Split into six parts, the book covers the Qing dynasty's final decades; Sun Yat-sen's establishment of the Republic of China and the Warlord Era; the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War; Mao Zedong's reign including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution; Deng Xiaoping's reign including the policy of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre; and the last 20 years where China was ruled by collective leadership.
Fenby, the author, edited the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post between 1995 and 1999. He began to write books about China after his retirement, including The Penguin History of Modern China, his sixth book about the country. The book received mixed reviews. Reviewers praised it for providing captivating portraits of the book's characters through interesting anecdotes. They recommended it for providing an engaging overview of China's history over the past century and a half. Some commentators criticised the book for not relying on Chinese primary sources. They noted the book had errors and omissions as well as overemphasised less significant topics while undercovering more important ones.