Orphan Warriors: Three Manchu Generations and the End of the Qing World.

Princeton, NJ Princeton University Press, 1990. Hardcover First Edition,(1990) not directly stated, but First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence, in accordance with Princeton University Press's customary practice at the time of publication. First Edition,(1990) not directly stated, but First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence, in accordance with Princeton University Press's customary practice at the time of publication. Near Fine in Fine DJ: The Book shows only a hint of bowing to the front board; there is an extremely faint mark (water? coffee? or perhaps a REMAINDER MARK?) at the top edge of the text block; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome, nearly-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing a couple of minor, unobtrusive imperfections. Bright and Clean. Corners sharp. Very close to 'As New'. The DJ is flawless; unclipped; mylar-protected. Virtually 'As New'. NOT a Book-Club or Ex-Library. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches). xi, 305 pages. Extensive Notes, Bibliography, Index. Maps precede the text. Language: English. 24.5 ounces. Yellow cloth over boards with black titles at the backstrip. Hardback with DJ. In the mid-1600s, Manchu bannermen spearheaded the military force that conquered China and founded the Qing Empire, which endured until 1912. By the end of the Taiping War in 1864, however, the descendants of these conquering people were coming to terms with a loss of legal definition, an ever-steeper decline in living standards, and a sense of abandonment by the Qing court. Focusing on three generations of a Manchu family (from 1750 to the 1930s), Orphan Warriors is the first attempt to understand the social and cultural life of the bannermen within the context of the decay of the Qing regime. The book reveals that the Manchus were not "sinicized," but that they were growing in consciousness of their separate ethnicity in response to changes in their own position and in Chinese attitudes toward them. Pamela Kyle Crossley's treatment of the Suwan Guwalgiya family of Hangzhou is hinged upon Jinliang (1878-1962), who was viewed at various times as a progressive reformer, a promising scholar, a bureaucratic hack, a traitor, and a relic. The author sees reflected in the ambiguities of his persona much of the plight of other Manchus as they were transformed from a conquering caste to an ethnic minority.