Chinese Modern

“Chinese Modern is a broad-ranging book, sweeping grandly across the 20th century and examining a range of genre including fiction, film, drama, poster art, oil paintings and advertisements . . . . [E]njoyable and challenging in its scope and insights.” - Louise Edwards, The China Journal

“Chinese Modern is both a noteworthy attempt to bring the experiences of Chinese modernity to bear on theoretical discourses of modernity and a dexterous use of western theories to illuminate the workings of modernity in Chinese literature and culture.” - Ming-Yan Lai , Modern Fiction Studies

“[A] very rich collection, covering a huge area of knowledge . . . . Chinese Modern pioneers the study of contemporary Chinese writers who have so far received little attention in the English-reading world, and opens up plenty of possibilities for future discussion and research.” - Michel Hockx , Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies

“Rich, imaginative and immensely useful for teaching courses . . . .” - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

“Highlights of the book include the author’s original readings of Wu Jianren and Wang Anyi and often brilliant cultural historicizing. . . . A rewarding decode. . . .” - J. C. Kinkley , Choice

"Consistently thoughtful and lucid. . . . Chinese Modern constitutes an important contribution to the study of modernism in Chinese literature and culture. It effectively combines insightful close readings of a wide range of canonical and more ‘popular’ literary and cinematic works with an intelligent engagement with relevant theoretical paradigms." - Carlos Rojas , Journal of Asian Studies

“Containing a series of penetrating analyses of landmark cultural works from the entire course of the twentieth century, Chinese Modern represents the most comprehensive account of modern Chinese literature that has ever been published in English. Tang also illuminates—like no one has before—the various ways in which the looming imperative of modernity has left its image on the imagination of modern China.” - Theodore Huters, University of California at Los Angeles

“Read Chinese Modern for a journey through China's ‘long twentieth century.’ Xiaobing Tang as guide shows how imaginative sympathy for one's subject nourishes critical acuity.” - Norma Field, University of Chicago