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Fortunate sons : the 120 Chinese boys who came to America, went to school, and revolutionized an ancient civilization
Format:
Book
Title:
Fortunate sons : the 120 Chinese boys who came to America, went to school, and revolutionized an ancient civilization
ISBN:
9780393070040
Edition:
1st ed.
Publication Information:
New York : W.W. Norton, ©2011.
Physical Description:
319 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm
Contents:
pt. 1. The freshman ; The Qing ; The foreigners ; Self-strengthening -- pt. 2. The arrival ; The forbidden city of Willard Street ; The return -- pt. 3. The prisoners ; "One vast jellyfish" -- The hundred days ; Sunset.
Summary:
In 1872, the Qing Empire sent 120 boys to America in the hope that they would unlock the mysteries of Western innovation. They studied at New England's finest schools, befriended luminaries such as Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant, and exchanged ideas with their American peers that would change the course of both nations. But when anti-Chinese fervor forced them back home, the young men faced a new set of obstacles, having to overcome a suspicious imperial court and a culture deeply resistant to change. Filled with colorful characters and vivid historical detail, this book unearths the dramatic stories of these young men who led China at the pivotal moment when it teetered between modernity and tradition.--From publisher description.
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