Mungello's book presents a lucid, concise, and absorbing account of the first great intellectual encounter between China and Europe, which is both fully accessible to the general reader and challenging to specialists. Not only is it the best available synthetic treatment of this large and important subject, but it also covers facets of the great encounter that are often neglected, such as the aesthetic.
In this admirable introduction to the great period of China's interactions with the West, D. E. Mungello condenses a lifetime of study into a concise and accessible form. Especially valuable are his analyses of mutual artistic influences, of theories of language and race, and of the internal rivalries that split both Chinese intellectuals and the Catholic Church.
No one is more qualified to deal with the Encounter of China and the West from 1500 to 1800 than D. E. Mungello, who has devoted a lifetime to its study and indeed has long since established himself as the prime leader in Sino-Western studies in America.
Small wonder that the admirable Jonathan Spence himself praises this book as an 'admirable introduction to the great period of China's interactions with the West'. Professor Mungello's work is a virtual parade of scholarly observations and analyses of an intricate series of ethereal intercultural exchanges between Ming and Manchu China, and Enlightenment Europe. He interprets these three centuries of give-and-take through the lenses of religion and the arts. His work is chock-full of widely revealing detail of the cultural, intellectual, and religious interplay that had, at times, as much effect on the contributor as the recipient.
The brevity of Mungello's book might suggest that it was meant only for freshmen-level surveys of world history or Chinese and/or Western history; however, this book, with its wealth of information and insight, can well serve upper-level students embarking on a more in-depth study of the problem of Sino-Western cultural interaction and interpretation, and general readers who seek to enhance their understanding of China and the profound misunderstandings that have so frequently characterized Sino-Western encounters in the past.. .. This [study] is the product of considerable erudition as well as interpretive sensitivity.
China Review International
A very good book. It is well written and interesting.
Journal Of Oriental Studies
I was impressed with the author's erudition and facile writing. The book is scholarly, clear and interesting—a marvelous achievement that makes it ideal for my students.
Mungello successfully introduces, in a general historical overview, the idea of mutual influence and outlines the confrontation between Christianity and Chinese culture.. .. What Mungello demonstrates, by linking different aspects of intellectual frameworks and of material cultures, is that the narrative of the exchange cannot be limited to a history of evangelical or commercial persuasion, or to a fictitious history of emotions, but has to expand to the selling of ideas, manifested in tangible objects, representations and rituals within a specific geographical area.
European History Quarterly
Ingenious textbook. .. stepping back into the period 1500–1800 must represent the wave of the future, and it is good to see such a thought-provoking example of the practice here already.
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Mungello's work provides a welcome addition to the literature on the early period of the Sino-Western encounter. . . . Mungello combines admirable concision with astute insights into the complexities of class, culture, and religion, both within China and among the Westerners vying for trade, influence, and souls there....
PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Ingenious textbook . . . stepping back into the period 1500-1800 must represent the wave of the future, and it is good to see such a thought-provoking example of the practice here already.....
Bulletin Of The School Of Oriental And African Studies (SOAS)
PRAISE FOR EARLIER EDITIONS Mungello has written an excellent summary on Chinese-Western relations (1500-1800). An essential book for historical, theological, and mission libraries, graduate and undergraduate students.....
Catholic Historical Review
Mungello, one of the world's leading authorities on early modern Sino-Western cultural relations, draws on his own lifelong research and mature interpretive views as well as the work of other scholars to provide us with a concise but rich analysis.
Mungello has written an excellent summary on Chinese-Western relations (1500–1800). An essential book for historical, theological, and mission libraries, graduate and undergraduate students.
The Catholic Historical Review
Mungello's work provides a welcome addition to the literature on the early period of the Sino-Western encounter.. .. Mungello combines admirable concision with astute insights into the complexities of class, culture, and religion, both within China and among the Westerners vying for trade, influence, and souls there.
Mungello has written an excellent summary on Chinese-Western relations (1500-1800). An essential book for historical, theological, and mission libraries, graduate and undergraduate students.
The Catholic Historical Review - Robert E. Carbonneau
Mungello's work provides a welcome addition to the literature on the early period of the Sino-Western encounter. . . . Mungello combines admirable concision with astute insights into the complexities of class, culture, and religion, both within China and among the Westerners vying for trade, influence, and souls there.
Ingenious textbook . . . stepping back into the period 1500-1800 must represent the wave of the future, and it is good to see such a thought-provoking example of the practice here already.
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) - T. H. Barrett
Ingenious textbook . . . stepping back into the period 1500-1800 must represent the wave of the future, and it is good to see such a thought-provoking example of the practice here already.
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
I was impressed with the author's erudition and facile writing. The book is scholarly, clear and interesting—a marvelous achievement that makes it ideal for my students.
Ingenious textbook . . . stepping back into the period 1500-1800 must represent the wave of the future, and it is good to see such a thought-provoking example of the practice here already.
Bulletin Of The School Of Oriental and African Studies
A very good book. It is well-written and interesting.
Journal of Oriental Studies
In this admirable introduction to the great period of China's interactions with the West, D. E. Mungello condenses a lifetime of study into a concise and accessible form. Especially valuable are his analyses of mutual artistic influences, of theories of language and race, and of the internal rivalries that split both Chinese intellectuals and the Catholic Church.
Mungello's work provides a welcome addition to the literature on the early period of the Sino-Western encounter. . . . Mungello combines admirable concision with astute insights into the complexities of class, culture, and religion, both within China and among the Westerners vying for trade, influence, and souls there.
