Joining the Modern World: Inside and Outside China

Wang Gungwu

For the past century, all kinds of Chinese people have tried to be "modern". But as the standards of modernity set elsewhere seem always to be higher than what has been achieved, that makes most Chinese work harder, though some may well wonder if standards rise so that China will always get a poor report card at the end of each year.

The ongoing efforts of the Chinese people seeking to be modern have been enacted in different parts of the world. There are interesting differences among them, depending on where they have been living. The general trend, however, is unmistakable. The striving for betterment is supported by a strong capacity to adapt and change, and this is reflected in the way the Chinese seize new opportunities when they occur. The essays here describe some of these efforts both inside and outside China, and form a small mosaic of Chinese practising the art of modernising.

«provocative ideas and penetrating insights»
- Lucien Pye, MIT