Audiobook · read by volunteers
China and the Chinese
Herbert Allen Giles (1845–1935)
Read by David Barnes · 6 chapters · 4 h 29
About the book
What did a Western scholar of the early twentieth century have to tell his audience about China? Herbert Giles was a diplomat who spent years in the country before becoming a professor of Chinese at Cambridge, and in these six lectures, given at Columbia University in 1902, he introduces the language, the books, the ideas and the habits of a culture he knew deeply. He starts with the Chinese language and a Chinese library, moves on to democracy in China, a comparison with ancient Greece and Taoism, and ends with manners and customs. The tone is conversational, learned without being heavy, and often wry. Some observations are as relevant as ever, while others remind us how much has changed since the days of the Qing dynasty. Six lectures, about four and a half hours, and one reader. A thoughtful historical document and an engaging introduction.
Introduction
Herbert Allen Giles (1845-1935) spent several years as a diplomat in China and in 1897 was appointed Cambridge University's second professor of Chinese. His published works cover Chinese language and literature, history and philosophy, and he is also remembered for a widely used system of romanising Chinese that bears the name of Wade-Giles. The six lectures move from the language and the library to Taoism and everyday customs, so that the audience is guided gradually into the subject.
The lectures that make up China and the Chinese were given at Columbia University in 1902, to mark the establishment of a Chinese professorship there. They were not intended for the specialist, but rather to urge a wider and more systematic study of China and its culture, and to encourage new students into the field. The topics include the Chinese language, a Chinese library, democracy in China, a comparison with ancient Greece, Taoism and some Chinese manners and customs. As a book it should be read with its date in mind. Giles wrote during the Manchu Qing dynasty, and his vocabulary and his judgments reflect the attitudes of his time. While many of the observations are just as relevant today, others will remind us how much China has changed. Reading, or hearing, it now is a way of seeing both China and the Western idea of China a little more than a century ago.
The recording has six chapters, one for each lecture, and lasts around four and a half hours. It is read by one LibriVox volunteer.
It is a fine choice for anyone interested in the history of Sinology or in how East and West have looked at each other.
Public domain
Herbert Allen Giles died in 1935: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text