Awards
- Nominated for John K. Fairbank Prize in East Asian History 2014
- Nominated for PROSE Awards 2013
Overview
From the Sino-Japanese War to the Communist Revolution, the onrushing narrative of modern China can drown out the stories of the people who lived it. Yet a remarkable cache of letters from one of China's most prominent and influential families, the Lius of Shanghai, sheds new light on this tumultuous era. Sherman Cochran and Andrew Hsieh take us inside the Lius' world to explore how the family laid the foundation for a business dynasty before the war and then confronted the challenges of war, civil unrest, and social upheaval. Cochran and Hsieh gained access to a rare collection containing a lifetime of letters exchanged by the patriarch, Liu Hongsheng, his wife, Ye Suzhen, and their twelve children. Their correspondence offers a fascinating look at how a powerful family navigated the treacherous politics of the period. They discuss sensitive issues-should the family collaborate with the Japanese occupiers? should it flee after the communist takeover?-as well as intimate domestic matters like marital infidelity. They also describe the agonies of wartime separation, protracted battles for control of the family firm, and the parents' struggle to maintain authority in the face of swiftly changing values. Through it all, the distinctive voices of the Lius shine through. Cochran and Hsieh's engaging prose reveals how each member of the family felt the ties that bound them together. More than simply a portrait of a memorable family, The Lius of Shanghai tells the saga of modern China from the inside out.
Full Product Details
Author: Sherman Cochran ,
Andrew Hsieh
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Imprint: Harvard University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 3.80cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 0.880kg
ISBN: 9780674072596
ISBN 10: 0674072596
Pages: 472
Publication Date: 22 April 2013
Audience:
General/trade
,
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
General
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
A perceptive and engaging history of a complex and fascinating Chinese family. Cochran and Hsieh provide an intimate portrait of a family and a city in the midst of nation-building, war, and revolution--a portrayal based on a unique collection of correspondence and unlikely to be rivaled soon, if at all.--Joseph W. Esherick, Author Of ancestral Leaves: A Family Journey Through Chinese History
Author Information
Sherman Cochran is Hu Shih Professor of Chinese History at Cornell University. Andrew Hsieh is Professor of Chinese History at Grinnell College.
