For a historian writing a book that covers a great swath of
time or region, there are pitfalls which are difficult to avoid. The mass of
information can overwhelm an author to such a degree that marshalling facts
like significant dates, names of rulers and wars, result in a text composed of
desolate rote data. But that data is
important evidence which cannot be disregarded.
Patricia Buckley Ebrey has performed a masterful job of
solving this problem. Her subject, China, is lengthy in history, wide in
regional influence, vast in geographical proportions, incomparable in
population and important in modern geopolitical power. Fortunately, she has
structured her narrative with such balance that it breathes with humanity. All
the necessary mechanical facts are present, interwoven with a plethora of information
on culture, individuals and experiences of the Chinese people. Ebrey gives
special attention to artistic and intellectual developments. She highlights
movements and personages responsible for social, political and cultural change.
She provides snapshots of daily peasant life and emphasizes conditions for
women during each age; in a society with a notable history of suppressing both
of these groups. Ebrey emphasizes that China is a collection of many conquered
and amalgamated ethnic groups with distinctive attributes. Her presentation of
softer realities (culture, humanity and transformation), within a framework of
hard chronological facts, is a balancing act that will provide readers with a
holistic picture of China’s history.
Ebray does fall down near the end of her study. The last two
chapters, from China’s revolution to the present, compress too many
sociopolitical changes and events into 66 pages. The author is unable to
present a form or conclusion during this bombardment of information. The reader
is presented with chronology, but superficial analysis. In this circumstance,
the reader is as flattened as the author under the weight of an unmanageable
rush of developments. Clearly, the author’s forte is the presentation of
history. Her ability to present current events, or the connection between
current events and history, is in question.
But the structural breakdown that befell the last two chapters
does not detract from Ebrey’s stellar accomplishment. She has presented the
history of an immense topic in an effective manner. For a non-fiction reader to
benefit from an extensive text, there must be something human on which to
adhere. When a historian presents humanizing information within a chronological
framework, it gives the audience an experience of empathy with the topic. This
empathy enhances one’s ability to remember facts. If one feels empathy towards
women subjected to foot-binding, one is more likely to remember the time period
in which it occurred or the class of Chinese who practiced it. If one develops
an appreciation of Chinese painting, one is more likely to remember what was
happening in the environment in which it was produced. These humane keys are
scattered throughout Ebrey’s narrative, giving the reader a means to manage the
volume of information and connect to China’s past. This technique also
encourages lifelong learners to pursue further improvement and education by
looking for materials that address subjects they found interesting in the text.
In general, readers will retain substantial information and develop greater
interest in China because of Ebrey’s technique. More historians should examine
what she has done if they wish to inspire interest in their topic.
Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. The Cambridge Illustrated
History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
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