The Phony Reformer
- Format: Hardback
- Language: English
- Book Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
This late Qing novel reflects Chinese life and society of its time. Portraying a “phony” reformer who rode the tide of the Qing court’s post-Boxer reforms to career success and personal wealth, the satire captures the clash between tradition and modernity, the old and new, as educated Chinese stood at a cultural and political crossroads.
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Product code:
9781538112397
This engaging translation presents an authentic period document that reflects aspects of Chinese life and society as seen through contemporary eyes. Portraying a "phony" reformer who rode the tide of the Qing court's post-Boxer reform initiatives to career success and personal wealth, this satire conveys the author's hope for a new, improved China, one that could stand proudly alongside Western nations and Meiji Japan in the modern world. His vivid descriptions of various situations shed light on late Qing elite behavior and Chinese foreign relations capture the clash between tradition and modernity, the old and new, as educated Chinese stood at a cultural and political crossroads.
