The wobbling pivot, China since 1800 : an interpretive history / Pamela Kyle Crossley.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The wobbling pivot -- Sources of order under the Qing Empire -- Sources of disorder under the Qing Empire -- Essay: Strategic borders -- Qing and the world -- Essay: Rebel heroines -- Visionaries -- Essay: Hunan takes the lead -- Essay: Water -- Beiyang ascendancy -- Cultural Revolution -- Essay: Manchus as minorities -- War -- The Ubiquitous center -- Essay: Minerals -- Essay: Health risks -- Gravity.

"This comprehensive but concise narrative of China since the eighteenth century builds its story around the delicate relationship between central government and local communities." "The author argues that China's modern history has not wholly adhered to the ideal of the "unwobbling pivot", with China as a wholly harmonious society based on principles of stability. Instead Crossley argues that developments can be explained through an understanding of China's surprising swings between centralization and decentralization, between local initiative and central authoritarianism. The author's approach is broad enough to provide a full introduction to modern Chinese history. Students new to the subject will be suppported with timelines, maps, illustrations, and extensive notes for further reading, while those with a background in Chinese will find an underlying theme in the narrative addressing long-standing interpretive issues."--BOOK JACKET.