The civilization and culture of China are by no means the world''s most ancient, but few have enjoyed so long a history marked by such a consistent identity and vital continuity. Over the past 5,000 years dynasties have risen and fallen, the borders have expanded and contracted, the arts and technology have flourished, advanced, and sometimes regressed, and ivaders have been defeated, or, conquering, have been absorbed and made part of the Chinese world.
Throughout this entire period, the vast and diverse area we know as China has been held together by the unifying matrix of a common culture, preserved and enriched by successive generations.
The last foreign invaders to rule China also formed the last imperial dynasty, and with the collapse of Manchu power, China entered upon a new era in her continuing history. Throughout this rief study of the life of Sun Yat-Sen, who played vital role in the year spanning the collapse of the old impire and the emergence of the new republic, we may hope to gain some understanding of this period of China''s history, which is crucial not to China alone, but to the whole world.
This book is one of a series of monographs entitled Leaders of Asia. Each book is a brief stimulating study of a man or woman who has contributed to the shape of Asia. Through a study of his or her career will emerge a greater knowledge of his or her country''s place in the contemporary scene.
As a biography, this book can be read by itself with enjoyment. History is not merely a story of a great man, but there is hardly a better way of studying it than by reading them. If you knew little about the man or the country, your interest in both will be increased by this biography. The pleasure of a good tale makes understanding easy.
Copyright ©
University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia, Queensland, 1980.
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