Age of Openness – China before Mao

Frank Dikotter is Professor of the Modern History of China at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong. He is a key proponent of studying modern history from a global perspective and has published a series of innovative books which have transformed the field of Chinese history, from his classic The Discourse of Race in Modern China (1992) to the controversial Narcotic Culture: A History of Drugs in China (2004).

"'In this succinct and vigorous book, Frank Dikotter presents a cornucopia of graphic examples to show that China in the first half of the twentieth century, far from being in a state of decay that called for revolutionary action, was in fact a vibrant and cosmopolitan society. In such a reading, the current Chinese leaders should not be seen as striving to do something bold and new; they are merely struggling to rebuild a network of global connections that Mao and others had systematically helped to destroy. This should be an ideal book to spark class discussion on modern China.' - Jonathan Spence, author of The Search for Modern China and Return to Dragon Mountain 'The always innovative Frank Dikotter infuses new life into an historical period left by most historians for dead - China's republican era from 1912 to 1949. In his persuasive recounting, this cosmopolitan, dynamic era has more to tell us about modern China's long-term trajectory than the authoritarian interlude that followed it.' - Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University"