`[Fenby's] book is a miracle of thoroughness, truthfulness and readability - the perfect primer for a time when China is about to enter all our lives.'

'Fenby excels at weaving the strands of his complex narrative into heroic and more often harrowing tales. There are sharp pen portraits of the heroes and (mostly) villains of the piece ... Fenby's enthusiasm is infectious'

'Reads like a novel and is never less than thoughtful and compassionate for the fate of a much-abused people ... [Fenby has] a journalist's eye for telling detail'

`A century ago ... China was opening up to the outside world, torn between willingness to participate in the international system, and fear that greater openness would undermine the regime. That century-old dilemma of how to create a strong China in a world buffeted by global forces is painfully relevant today. Jonathan Fenby's account of how China has coped with that dilemma makes his illuminating book the first major history that looks at the country with the eyes of the 21st century rather than the 20th.'

'Overlook this book at your peril, because it is far more than a mere recapitulation of the horrors of the last century: it's everything you need to know about one of the world's fastest-growing superpowers, from the days of the Dowager Empress Cixi to the forward-thinking country it is today.'

'A great introduction for a general audience, well-paced with vivid scene-setting and character sketches'

'Magisterial ... it's everything you need to know about one of the world's fastest-growing superpowers.'

In the second half of the 19th century, China appeared as the sick man of Asia, rocked by recurrent revolts and huge natural disasters, ruled by an anachronistic imperial system and humiliated by foreign invasions. Karl Marx saw it as bound to disintegrate, like 'any mummy carefully preserved in a hermetically sealed coffin'. The first half of the 20th century was even worse, culminating in fourteen years of invasion by Japan, four years of civil war and three decades of chaotic, oppressive rule by Mao Zedong that killed tens of millions. Now, at the start of the 21st century, China is a major global force, booming economically and confident that it holds the keys to a future in which it will rival the United States.It is impossible to understand modern China without understanding the country's terrible recent past and Jonathan Fenby's magnificent new book is the essential work. "The Penguin History of Modern China" is both a brilliant narrative, crammed with surprising and interesting stories, and a profound study of the nature of political power and its abuse.

2008-08-31 sorry but its not good enough

Studying History myself, I think the Penguin History completely lost the plot. I agree with other review. It gives me a feeling like 'handling in an essay by tomorrow. If you really want read something about Chinese History, I recommend 'The Rise of Modern China' by Oxford University Press. It is much much better, but a bit more expensive. I still think worth it, honestly.