The students who came to the United States in the early twentieth century to become modern Chinese by studying at American universities played pivotal roles in Chinese intellectual, economic, and diplomatic life upon their return to China. These former students exemplified key aspects of Chinese "modernity," introducing new social customs, new kinds of interpersonal relationships, new ways of associating in groups, and a new way of life in general. Although there have been books about a few especially well-known persons among them, this is the first book in either English or Chinese to study...

In conversational style and in chronological sequence, Ye Weili and Ma Xiaodong recount their lives in China from the 1950s to the 1980s, a particularly eventful period that included the Cultural Revolution and the ensuing Communist regime. Using their own stories as two case studies, they examine the making of a significant yet rarely understood generation in recent Chinese history. They also reflect upon the mixed legacy of the early decades of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In doing so, the book strives for a balance between critical scrutiny of a complex era and the sweeping...

In conversational style and in chronological sequence, Ye Weili and Ma Xiaodong recount their lives in China from the 1950s to the 1980s, a particularly eventful period that included the Cultural Revolution and the ensuing Communist regime. Using their own stories as two case studies, they examine the making of a significant yet rarely understood generation in recent Chinese history. They also reflect upon the mixed legacy of the early decades of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In doing so, the book strives for a balance between critical scrutiny of a complex era and the sweeping...