Historiography

History Wars: The PRC pushes back against unsanctioned views of the past

History Wars: The PRC pushes back against unsanctioned views of the past

David and I discuss what's going on with the Qing history project, a controversy about Genghis Khan in France, and how PRC continues punching back against potentially problematic pasts.

Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

Chinese history — very distant and very near — is filled with people who did not, and do not, abide by the government's "official" version of events. Ian Johnson gives them a voice in his latest book, Sparks.

Xi’s Gotta Have It: Rewriting the History of the Reform and Opening Era at the National Museum

Xi’s Gotta Have It: Rewriting the History of the Reform and Opening Era at the National Museum

Feckless sycophants at the National Museum have taken the Reform and Opening period, one of the most significant moments in Modern Chinese history, and turned it into the equivalent of a Xi Jinping dick pic.

The Party Struggles to Keep Control of its Own History

The Party Struggles to Keep Control of its Own History

A series of controversial social media posts claim the Party is censoring the past to preserve its legitimacy in the present. Why is the Cultural Revolution such a sensitive topic these days?

Xi Writes Himself into the Narrative of China’s Modern Rejuvenation

Xi Writes Himself into the Narrative of China’s Modern Rejuvenation

The Developed West ignores the message emerging from the 19th Party Congress at its own peril

Telling “The Story of China” in Six Hours is Futile, But Give BBC Credit for Trying

Telling “The Story of China” in Six Hours is Futile, But Give BBC Credit for Trying

It’s hard to fault the producers of the BBC Two documentary “The Story of China” (being broadcast this summer in the US on PBS, viewable online) for perhaps falling into the trap of the old Chinese saying, “走马看花” — to view flowers while racing a horse — i.e. attaining a superficial understanding through cursory observation.

Out of Autocracy, Off the Shelves

Out of Autocracy, Off the Shelves

It is an unfortunate axiom of publishing in China that the best way for your book to gain international attention is to have the Chinese government make it unavailable to domestic readers. 

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences throwing shade at The New Qing History

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences throwing shade at The New Qing History

Why did the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences launch an attack on Qing historians Mark Elliott, James Millward, and Pamela Crossley? It seems they had the temerity to challenge long-cherished tropes of Qing history, and that Just! Won't! Do!