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This book begins with the founding of the Qing Dynasty and ends in the 21st century, narrating the great changes in modern Chinese society over the past four hundred years. The author clearly points out that this difficult journey is not, as most Western Sinologists say, a history in which Western factors continued to be input and China only responded passively. From clues such as the government's policies and systems, the national struggle against external factors, and the search for a way to survive in a new world, the author meticulously describes the internal social turmoil and important driving forces of development in modern China, telling the world the history of an ancient Confucian empire that experienced hardships and obstacles and transformed into a modern nation-state. Although the author is in the European and American circles, what he expresses through this book is his views on the development process of modern China as a Chinese. This expression does not belong to any one theory or doctrine, but is an eclectic and harmonious view of history. With a vision that transcends ideology, class, party and culture, and a heart of tolerance and goodwill towards historical figures of all kinds, Mr. Xu Zhongyue looks at historical events fairly, impartially, objectively and calmly. At the same time, he refers to a large amount of archival documents and research works, and uses an interdisciplinary approach to strive to present to readers this historical work that describes the struggle of the Chinese nation in the past four hundred years.