Sources of Chinese Tradition - Volumes I and II

by Wm. Theodore de Bary (Editor), Burton Watson (Editor), Wing-Tsit Chan (Editor)

For four decades Sources of Chinese Tradition has served to introduce Western readers to Chinese civilization as it has been seen through basic writings and historical documents of the Chinese themselves. Now in its second edition, revised and extended through Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin­era China, this classic volume remains unrivaled for its wide selection of source readings on history, society, and thought in the world´s largest nation. Award-winning China scholar Wm. Theodore de Bary -who edited the first edition in 1960 -and his coeditor Richard Lufrano have revised and updated the second volume of Sources to reflect the interactions of ideas, institutions, and historical events from the seventeenth century up to the present day.Beginning with Qing civilization and continuing to contemporary times, volume II brings together key source texts from more than three centuries of Chinese history, with opening essays by noted China authorities providing context for readers not familiar with the period in question. Here are just a few of the topics covered in this second volume of Sources of Chinese Tradition: · Early Sino-Western contacts in the seventeenth century; · Four centuries of Chinese reflections on differences between Eastern and Western civilizations; · Nineteenth- and twentieth-century reform movements, with treatises on women´s rights, modern science, and literary reform; · Controversies over the place of Confucianism in modern Chinese society; · The nationalist revolution -including readings from Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek; · The communist revolution -with central writings by Mao Zedong; · Works from contemporary China -featuring political essays from Deng Xiaoping and dissidents including Wei Jingsheng. With more than two hundred selections in lucid, readable translation by today´s most renowned experts on Chinese language and civilization, Sources of Chinese Tradition will continue to be recognized as the standard for source readings on Chinese civilization, an indispensable learning tool for scholars and students of Asian civilizations.

Genres: History, China, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion, Asia, Cultural

578 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Edward Gray]

I truly have a appreciation for the sources of religious thought and instruction for mankind. The influence of Chinese critical thought has not only influenced billions of Chinese, it has had a great influence on all of humanity, leading to the inception of thought in the West. Regardless of whether we are Eastern or Western , we owe a debt to Chinese traditions.

[Chris J]

Not for the faint of heart.

[Lucas]

Great sourcebook, earliest times through the Ming.

[David McCormick]

A fantastic source book of primary sources from early Chinese religion and philosophy. A nibble of just about everything, I guess.

[Chayi]

Exceptional source for Chinese tradition

[Magpie6493]

My edition of this particular book is maybe different than the one shown in the picture above this one just hapoened to be pretty much exactly what I was reading so I am going to go forward with the assumption this was tge right book.

With all of that out of tge way this was an amazing book to be able to read. It was dense with information but was a very informative read. I realized afterwards that thus book is meant to be a textbook of some kind. Since I was reading it for purely my own enjoyment I cannot speak to how effective this book is as a learning tool in a classroom setting.

Since the earlier periods of chinese history are more the area im interested in versus more recent Chinese history so I think the first volume will be enough for me so I'm not completely if I'm going to be tracking down the second volume.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Chinese culture.

[Anne]

On one hand, I loved how this book delved into early Chinese traditional beliefs which developed in its society, from philosophers like Lao Tzu and Confucius to religions like Daoism and Buddhism. Saying that, it is definitely a scholarly work, and not really enjoyable if you don't want to be bogged down in the details. While I enjoyed the book from the most part and I left it feeling far more informed on Chinese traditional beliefs, I struggled at times to say it was truly fun to read. I can imagine this book is assigned in many schools, but as a light nonfiction read, it's a bit too scholarly to be truly enjoyable.

[Timothy Fewless]

Good read, but very heavy reading

[Kevin Bjorke]

This is a terrific compendium especially as a sampler of materials from the ancients through the Warring States period and their "Hundred Schools of Thought," closing in the sad Qin days marked by "Memorial for the Burning of Books" -- an event for the East not unlike the destructions of great libraries like those in Alexandria or the destruction of almost all Mayan codices by Spain. I'm currently intrigued by the editor's assertion that by the time of the Han period (202 BCE), the rulers had recognized, based on prior Qin experience, that "terror and strength alone could never rule the world."

[Genna]

A little dense and dull at times, this is nevertheless a good place to start if you want an overview of historical Chinese philosophies (though, since I was just starting, I don't have anything to compare it to). I liked that most of the book was excerpts from original sources, but I got a bit bogged down in all of the manifestations of Confucianism.

[Patrick]

I used sources from this book to assign to students for a course on Chinese philosophy. There are great historical and philosophical primary sources translated in this volume and I think I will continue to use it for teaching in the future. It’s an excellent collection.

[Tori]

Sources of Chinese Tradition (Unesco Collection of Representative Works. Chinese Series) by William Theodore De Bary (1960)

[Karl]

Good selection of primary documents for research.

[Michael]

Great text book read and a nice reference guide.

[Jami]

Awesome resource!

[William]

Still a great introduction to China through its thought.

[James Violand]

Excellent synopsis of Chinese thought.