"Ancestral Leaves" follows one family through six hundred years of Chinese history and brings to life the epic narrative of the nation, from the fourteenth century through the Cultural Revolution. The lives of the Ye family- 'Ye' means 'leaf' in Chinese - reveal the human side of the large-scale events that shaped modern China: the vast and destructive rebellions of the nineteenth century, the economic growth and social transformation of the republican era, the Japanese invasion during World War II, and the Cultural Revolution under the Chinese Communists. Joseph W. Esherick draws from rare manuscripts and archival and oral history sources to provide an uncommonly personal and intimate glimpse into Chinese family history, illuminating the changing patterns of everyday life during rebellion, war, and revolution.

About the Author
Joseph W. Esherick is Professor of Modern Chinese History at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of The Origins of the Boxer Uprising (UC Press) and co-editor of The Chinese Cultural Revolution as History, among many books.

Reviews
"This is an extraordinary book; for me it was something of a page-turner as I followed the story of the twists and turns." -- Keith Schoppa Twentieth Century China "Ancestral Leaves offers for ... the general reader a most unique survey of modern Chinese history." -- Ke Ren Frontiers Of History In China "Ancestral Leaves is a great read and it will appeal to specialists and non-specialists alike." -- Louise Edwards Journal Of Chinese Studies "Very well researched and documented... Something special and rare." -- Dominique Tyl Chinese Cross Currents "Meticulously researched and written in an absorbing style. [Esherick's] book enriches our understanding of Chinese social history." -- Emily Dunn The China Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9780520267008
Author Joseph W. Esherick
Format Paperback
Page Count 392
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 499g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm