• The Civilization of China (English Edition): A Century-Old Western Sinologist‘s Portrait of Chinese Life & Thought
  • The Civilization of China (English Edition): A Century-Old Western Sinologist‘s Portrait of Chinese Life & Thought
  • The Civilization of China (English Edition): A Century-Old Western Sinologist‘s Portrait of Chinese Life & Thought
  • The Civilization of China (English Edition): A Century-Old Western Sinologist‘s Portrait of Chinese Life & Thought
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The Civilization of China (English Edition): A Century-Old Western Sinologist‘s Portrait of Chinese Life & Thought

The Civilization of China (English Edition): A Century-Old Western Sinologist‘s Portrait of Chinese Life & Thought

From the Feudal Age and Law to Women and Children, Literature, Philosophy, Sport, Recreation, the Mongols and the Ming-Qing Dynasties — A Broad Outline Written for Readers Who Knew Almost Nothing About China
This is not a modern history of China, and it is not a Chinese author’s view of Chinese civilization. It is a portrait written by Herbert A. Giles, a British diplomat and sinologist who spent thirty-five years as Professor of Chinese at Cambridge—and who wrote this book for Western readers who knew almost nothing about the country. You see China through his eyes: its feudal age, its laws and government, its religions and superstitions, the lives of women and children, its literature and education, its philosophy, its sports and amusements, its dynasties and its encounters with foreigners. Some of what he says will feel dated, and some of it will surprise you with its insight. Either way, it is a document of how the West once imagined China—and a readable introduction to a civilization that has fascinated outsiders for centuries. If you want to understand China through a century-old Western sinologist‘s lens—rather than read a contemporary academic history or a modern Chinese account—this is it.
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About the Book

The Civilization of China is a classic survey of Chinese history and society written by Herbert Allen Giles (1845–1935), a renowned British sinologist, diplomat, and former British consular officer in China. This edition, published by China Intercontinental Press, is part of the China Yesterday series — a collection of Sinological works by foreign authors that offer unique outside-in perspectives on China.

Giles wrote this book for Western readers who knew little about China, aiming to provide a “rough outline of Chinese civilization from the earliest times down to the early 20th century.” It remains a valuable historical document, capturing how a leading Western scholar of his era interpreted and presented Chinese civilization to the English-speaking world.

What You Will Find Inside

The book covers a broad range of topics essential to understanding traditional China:

  • The Chinese political system — from ancient dynasties to the imperial bureaucratic structure

  • Social customs and daily life — family, etiquette, and the fabric of Chinese society

  • Religion and philosophy — Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and folk beliefs

  • Literature and education — the classical canon, the examination system, and scholarly traditions

  • China‘s encounter with the modern world — as observed by a Western scholar writing in the early 1900s

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