The Chinese Renaissance

Concepts of historical progress or decline and the idea of a cycle of historical movement have existed in many civilizations. In spite of claims that they be transnational or even universal, periodization schemes invariably reveal specific social and cultural predispositions. Our dialogue, which brings together a Sinologist and a scholar of early modern History in Europe, considers periodization as a historical phenomenon, studying the case of the “Renaissance.” Understood in the tradition of J. Burckhardt, who referred back to ideas voiced by the humanists of the 14th and 15th centuries, and focusing on the particularities of humanist dialogue which informed the making of the “Renaissance” in Italy, our discussion highlights elements that distinguish it from other movements that have proclaimed themselves as “r/Renaissances,” studying, in particular, the Chinese Renaissance in the early 20th century. While disagreeing on several fundamental issues, we suggest that interdisciplinary and interregional dialogue is a format useful to addressing some of the more far-reaching questions in global history, e.g. whether and when a periodization scheme such as “Renaissance” can fruitfully be applied to describe non-European experiences.

This is a new release of the original 1934 edition.

Rising superpower China duly anointed a new generation of leaders led by Xi Jinping at the Communist Party's 18th National Congress held in November 2012. While the conclave itself passed off with smoothly choreographed efficiency, the months leading up to this once-a-decade transition were anything but orderly. Intense factional wrangling behind the scenes was accompanied by scandals very much in public view. In the most spectacular furore the political aspirations of Communist aristocrat Bo Xilai were dashed, at one time threatening to derail the meticulous stage managing of the congress itself. At the start of what turned out to be a tumultuous year, the South China Morning Post set out on an ambitious project to chronicle the transfer of power to the so-called fifth generation of Chinese leaders, delving behind the cloak of secrecy that routinely masks Beijing's corridors of power. The result was unparalleled coverage and a series of exclusives that kept the newspaper well ahead of its peers on this remarkable story. While the past decade saw China's supercharged economy accelerate past Japan to become the world's second-largest, the coming decade is expected to see China led by Xi and his team move towards catching up the United States as the world's top economic force. Who are the people that will guide China through its challenges at home and on the global stage? By profiling dozens of rising stars as well as current movers and shakers, the SCMP has provided the most complete portrait to date of the leaders who will control the world's most populous country over the next decade. This book aims to provide the reader with a comprehensive insight into the men, and the tiny handful of women, who are going to be charting that course. Contents:From Strongman to Consensus RuleThe Hu-Wen Decade: Glorious, Golden and LostChange Agent or Steady as She Goes?Sent-Down Youth Rise UpPower Behind the CurtainBo Xilai: Slide from Fame to ShameBeijing's Big ReshuffleJangling Global NervesReform: Easier Said Than DoneNew Leaders Seek China's RenewalWill China Miracle Lose Its Magic?The Media GenieLost, Found and Still SearchingWho to Watch Readership: All who are interested in China affairs. Keywords:China;Xi Jinping;18th Party Congress;China Politics;South China Morning Post;China RenaissanceReviews: “The volume serves as a useful reference for scholars in the policy circles, think tanks, political science and international relations teaching staff, graduate students, and China watchers. This is a useful reference material for scholarly and policy works, with interesting anecdotes that can lead to important ideas about public perceptions of leadership transitions. Most importantly, it leads readers to develop their own opinions about leadership politics in China after reading other journalists' opinions.” DLSU Business & Economics Review

Concepts of historical progress or decline and the idea of a cycle of historical movement have existed in many civilizations. In spite of claims that they be transnational or even universal, periodization schemes invariably reveal specific social and cultural predispositions. Our dialogue, which brings together a Sinologist and a scholar of early modern History in Europe, considers periodization as a historical phenomenon, studying the case of the “Renaissance.” Understood in the tradition of J. Burckhardt, who referred back to ideas voiced by the humanists of the 14th and 15th centuries, and focusing on the particularities of humanist dialogue which informed the making of the “Renaissance” in Italy, our discussion highlights elements that distinguish it from other movements that have proclaimed themselves as “r/Renaissances,” studying, in particular, the Chinese Renaissance in the early 20th century. While disagreeing on several fundamental issues, we suggest that interdisciplinary and interregional dialogue is a format useful to addressing some of the more far-reaching questions in global history, e.g. whether and when a periodization scheme such as “Renaissance” can fruitfully be applied to describe non-European experiences.

A new generation of Confucian scholars is coming of age. China is reawakening to the power and importance of its own culture. This volume provides a unique view of the emerging Confucian vision for China and the world in the 21st century. Unlike the Neo-Confucians sojourning in North America who recast Confucianism in terms of modern Western values, this new generation of Chinese scholars takes the authentic roots of Confucian thought seriously. This collection of essays offers the first critical exploration in English of the emerging Confucian, non-liberal, non-social-democratic, moral and political vision for China’s future. Inspired by the life and scholarship of Jiang Qing who has emerged as China's exemplar contemporary Confucian, this volume allows the English reader access to a moral and cultural vision that seeks to direct China’s political power, social governance, and moral life. For those working in Chinese studies, this collection provides the first access in English to major debates in China concerning a Confucian reconceptualization of governance, a critical Confucian assessment of feminism, Confucianism functioning again as a religion, and the possibility of a moral vision that can fill the cultural vacuum created by the collapse of Marxism.