Chinese Perspectives on the Nien Rebellion

Book excerpt: This title was first published in 1981. The study of peasant rebellion constitutes a major research field among contemporary Chinese historians. This book brings together translated excerpts of primary and secondary materials dealing with one of the largest rebellions in Chinese history: the Nien Rebellion of 1851-1868. The selections have been made with two main purposes in mind. First, they have been chosen with an eye toward introducing some new types of source materials for the study of Chinese peasant rebellion. Original field research conducted by Chinese scholars in the late 1950s uncovered important information not contained in official documentary collections. Second, the selections offer a sample of the nature of historiographical debate within Chinese academic circles. It is hoped that the selections will prove of interest not only to students of the Nien, but also to others curious about the lines of scholarly controversy within the People's Republic of China.