How to write Chinese history in the twenty-first century: The impact of the “New Qing History” studies and Chinese responses

Abstract

This article is a result of the collaboration of two Qing historians, one from China and the other from the US. Having exchanged ideas, the two reached an agreement on the rise of New Qing History over the past two decades. The article breaks it down in three parts: (i) Analysis of the intellectual background of New Qing History; (ii) Discussion of several key questions raised by New Qing History and analysis of how and why they become controversial in historical communities in China; and (iii) Discussion of the significance of New Qing History from the perspective of global history on both methodological and theoretical levels. The authors believe that it is imperative for Chinese scholars, not only the Qing historians, to take stock of the issues raised by New Qing History. These issues reflect concerns of the historical communities both in and outside China and have far-reaching influences and implications across many fields of history in the twenty-first century.