Inventing China through History

Q. Edward Wang is Associate Professor and Chair of the History Department at Rowan University.

"Wang is successful in bringing out the possibilities offered by liberal historiography in re-linking the past and the present in the formulation of a Chinese modernity." — Journal of Oriental Studies"This book performs an important service to scholars and students interested in the intellectual culture of the first half of the twentieth century in general, and of the May Fourth Movement in particular. It offers a detailed and focused look at the development and evolution of the discipline of history and the ideological and political corollary, thus filling a lacuna in the existing historiography on the intellectual history of the May Fourth and Republic periods." — On-cho Ng, coeditor of Imagining Boundaries: Changing Confucian Doctrines, Texts, and Hermeneutics"Wang's smoothly written book re-presents the rich heritage of professional historiography in twentieth-century China that has long been ignored by scholars interested in China's volatile and exciting political revolutions. Wang not only narrates the major trends of a large sweep of professional historiography in a digestible manner, but also offers a clear and compelling historical interpretation of this data." — Timothy Cheek, author of Propaganda and Culture in Mao's China: Deng Tuo and the Intelligentsia

• Acknowledgments 1. Introduction History and ModernityThe Chinese ContextTradition and Identity 2. New Horizon, New Attitude Past versus PresentPerceiving the WestNew Historiography 3. Scientific Inquiry Innovation or Renovation?The American ModelHistory and PhilologyRankean Historiography 4. Equivalences and Differences Methodological Attempt (A)Methodological Attempt (B)In Discovery of Ancient ChinaIn Search of Modern History 5. Seeking China’s National Identity China-Based Modern CultureHistory and Public SphereHistory and PoliticsTi and Yong: A Reconsideration 6. Epilogue GlossaryNotesSelected BibliographyIndex