Social Sciences in China, 2024

Vol. 45 , No. 4, 2024

 

What Was 19th-Century China Like?: On China’s Hidden Century: 1796-1912

(Abstract)

 

Xia Chuntao and Cui Zhihai

 

In 2023, the exhibition China’s Hidden Century: 1796-1912 and an accompanying book drew widespread attention. However, in our opinion, both the exhibition and the book have three main problems: 1) A muddled historical perspective that disproportionately emphasizes the positive effects of Western influence on China. 2) A reliance on the views and arguments put forth by the American scholars of “New Qing History” regarding China’s borderland and ethnic issues. 3) An imbalance in the content, with certain aspects being either overemphasized or underrepresented, and even factual inaccuracies occur. Therefore the interpretations of the historical events in the exhibition and the book are subject to debate.

 

Keywords: historical view, historical facts, the British Museum,  the 19th century, late Qing