This new history of modern China begins in the year 1800, with an account of China's approach to the threats of foreign imperialism and internal rebellion. The main themes of this late imperial period include the Opium Wars and their consequences, the rise and defeat of the mid-nineteenth-century rebellions and the frustrating attempts at 'self-strengthening'. As the twentieth century begins, the book offers an evaluation of the 1911 revolution and the May Fourth Movement which produced Chen Duxiu's attack on Confucianism. The main focus for the following period is the history of the Guomindang and the Chinese Communist party until the victory of the latter in 1949. The final section surveys the People's Republic of China, comparing the estimates that have been made of the leadership of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping and the success - or otherwise - of the policies with which they have been associated. Written for the non-specialist and for the student looking for an authoritative introduction to recent scholarly work on China, this illustrated history provides a reliable and highly stimulating account of an endlessly fascinating country whose development is of paramount importance for the West.