Disillusionment: The Rise and Fall of the Late Qing Self-Strengthening Movement

This book is an accessible work on history and culture. It focuses on the Self-Strengthening Movement in late Qing China and covers major historical events including the Second Opium War, the Xinyou Coup, the Tongzhi Restoration, the Boxer Rebellion, the Hundred Days' Reform, and the First Sino-Japanese War. It brings to life figures ranging from Empress Dowager Cixi and the emperors Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu to Prince Gong and other imperial princes, as well as high-ranking officials such as Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Lin Zexu, Zuo Zongtang, and Lou Ren. It also portrays progressive-minded intellectuals from every walk of life, including Wei Yuan and Rong Hong, and the many foreign figures involved in China's political affairs...