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Europeans in the modern era are always discovering China for the first time. But in fact, their relations go back many centuries. Major European figures from Voltaire to Jung to Kristeva have devoted time in their writings to trying to understand what China was and is, and what it should mean as a culture, philosophical tradition and political entity. China Through European Eyes: 800 Years of Cultural and Intellectual Engagement collects for the first time the main writings of 16 key European figures from the time of Marco Polo about their ideas and understanding of China.

"In my view," authors Kerry Brown and Chenger Deng stated, “the European views of China remain shaped by the conflicting habits of either idealising or demonising. This book shows how these attitudes became embedded, and how they might be transformed and adopted in a much more complex global situation now."

China Through European Eyes is an invaluable collection for policy makers, those interested in international relations, and those with a general interest in global history, and in particular China and Europe's role in the world. With a comprehensive introduction looking at the context of European engagement with China, this book also has explanations and notes to each of the selections, and then suggestions for further reading. The value of this book is to put in one place the key thinking and ideas by highly influential Europeans about what China meant to them over an 800-year time span. It allows readers to stand back and see long standing trends in this relationship for the first time, and the ways in which these remain important to the present day.

This book will therefore also be key to those with an interest in current affairs, including policy makers and businesspeople. The European China relationship in terms of trade and people to people engagement, and for geopolitics, is one of the most important of the current era. It has shaped human history for many centuries and continues to be important. This book gives a sense of perspective and allows us to better understand the deeper background of how Chinese and Europeans regard each other, in the perpetual dialogue between “East and West."

China Through European Eyes: 800 Years of Cultural and Intellectual Engagement retails for US$88 / £75 (hardcover) and is also available in electronic formats. To order or know more about the book, visit http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/q0323.

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About the Author

Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London. He is an Associate of the Asia Pacific Programme at Chatham House, London, an adjunct of the Australia New Zealand School of Government in Melbourne, and the co-editor of the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, run by the German Institute for Global Affairs in Hamburg. He is President-Elect of the Kent Archaeological Society.

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About World Scientific Publishing Co.

World Scientific Publishing is a leading international independent publisher of books and journals for the scholarly, research and professional communities. World Scientific collaborates with prestigious organisations like the Nobel Foundation and US National Academies Press to bring high quality academic and professional content to researchers and academics worldwide. The company publishes about 600 books and over 140 journals in various fields annually. To find out more about World Scientific, please visit www.worldscientific.com.
For more information, contact WSPC Communications at [email protected].