This overview of twentieth-century history in China tells the story of a fascinating country undergoing political revolutions and social and cultural upheaval.

Paul J. Bailey is Reader in East Asian History at the University of Edinburgh. He formerly taught at Lingnan College, Hong Kong and the University of Durham, England. His previous publications include Postwar Japan: 1945 to the Present (Blackwell, 1996), Strengthen the Country and Enrich the People: The Reform Writings of Ma Jianzhong 1845–1900 (1998) and Reform the People: Changing Attitudes to Popular Education in Early Twentieth-century China (1991).