Jonathan D. Spence, Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-hsi. London: Book Club Associates, 1974.
Square format (21 x 19 cm), hard cover, dustwrapper, 218 + ix pages, line illustrations in some margins.
Light wear to dustwrapper. Very good condition.
'In this magnificent portrait of K'ang-hsi's world, the life and motives of an extraordinary emperor are recreated by Jonathan Spence. Backed by the most painstaking research, and with the help of numerous illustrations, Spence paints a wide canvas: culture, politics and travel; the San-fan Civil War, which nearly cost K'ang-hsi his throne; the tragedy of Yin-jen, K'ang-hsi's beloved but evil heir whose immorality and bitter feuding led to his father's ruin
K'ang-hsi was the longest-reigning emperor in modern Chinese history, and probably the greatest. His was a life at the height of power, but he lived according to strict Neo-Confucian and Manchu morality. He unified China, grew famous for the range and energy of his reforms, and always maintained an exuberant sense of humour and curiosity. This endless curiosity about the world led him to scientific experimentation, to a study of Chinese history and literature, to the patronage of unusually talented men (both Chinese and Westerners) and to the encouragement of music, astronomy, poetry and medicine. Jonathan Spence had access to a richness of material which far exceeds that in existence for any other Chinese emperor. He has translated K'ang-hsi's thoughts and letters, his valedictory edict and confidential palace communications, and has woven them together into an expressive and fascinating autobiographical memoir. The result is a remarkable view of an emperor at work, and a behind-the-scenes account of a golden age of history.' (blurb)
'Jonathan Dermot Spence CMG (11 August 1936 25 December 2021) was a British-American historian, sinologist, and author specialised in Chinese history. He was Sterling Professor of History at Yale University from 1993 to 2008. His most widely read book is The Search for Modern China, a survey of the last several hundred years of Chinese history based on his popular course at Yale. A prolific author, reviewer, and essayist, he published over a dozen books on China. Spence's major interest was modern China, especially the Qing dynasty, and relations between China and the West. Spence frequently used biographies to examine cultural and political history. Another common theme is the efforts of both Westerners and Chinese "to change China", and how such efforts were frustrated.' (Wikipedia)
