Book release events
MCI hosts book release events to disseminate China studies research findings. Celebrating book publications also contributes to our supportive research culture.
Eric Schluessel (History): A Late-Qing Uyghur History (2023)
As a visiting scholar at MCI, George Washington University historian Eric Schluessel completed his translation of the Tarikh-i Hamidi, an early 20th century history of Xinjiang, originally written by Musa Sayrami.
It chronicles a Muslim rebellion against the Qing empire in the late 19th century, presenting a distinctly Uyghur perspective on China, Eurasia, and the world. Eric’s translation has been published by Columbia University Press.
Michael Wood (History): China’s Greatest Poet: In the Footsteps of Du Fu
Manchester public historian Michael Wood follows in the footsteps of Du Fu (712-70), one of China’s greatest poets, to try to understand the places that inspired Du Fu to write some of the most famous and best-loved poetry the world has known. The themes he wrote about – friendship, family, human suffering – are universal and in our troubled times are just as relevant as they were almost 1,300 years ago. Published by Simon & Schuster in 2023.
Dame Jessica Rawson: Life and Afterlife in Ancient China
Professor Rawson (Oxford) explores the significance of China’s ancient early tombs which built a major architectural tradition from 3000 BC to the 19th century, an unrivalled source of information on the wider political and social contexts, illustrating important parallels with the modern Chinese state and society. Published by Penguin in 2023.
Tim Brook (History): The Price of Collapse: The Little Ice Age and the Fall of Ming China
In 1644, after close to three centuries of relative stability and prosperity, the Ming dynasty collapsed. Many historians attribute its demise to the Manchu invasion of China, but the truth is far more profound. UBC historian Tim Brook provides an entirely new approach to the economic and social history of China, exploring how global climate crisis spelled the end of Ming rule.
Pascale Massot (Ottawa): China’s Vulnerability Paradox
Dr Massot presents an original framework to explain the uneven transformations in global commodity markets resulting from the dramatic, contemporary expansion of China’s economy. In conversation with Matthew Paterson (UoM Politics & the Sustainable Consumption Institute).
Sunny Xin Liu: Anglo-Chinese Encounters Before the Opium War, A Tale Of Two Empires Over Two Centuries
Starting with Queen Elizabeth I’s letter to the Ming Emperor Wanli and ending with the letter from Lord Palmerston to the Minister of China just before the Opium War, this book narrates the fascinating encounters between the two historic empires and explores the long journey from cultural diplomacy to gunboat diplomacy. This book event was held in conversation with historian Michael Wood at the John Ryland Library.