Review: 'Creators of Modern China' Fails to Capture Common People

A review of the book 'Creators of Modern China: 100 Lives from Empire to Republic 1796–1912' criticizes its focus on extraordinary individuals, arguing it neglects the everyday reality of China's common people. Edited by Jessica Harrison-Hall and Julia Lovell, the 367-page tome gathers biographies of a hundred figures including courtiers, artists, and businesspeople to humanize the late-Qing empire. The book coincides with the British Museum's exhibition 'China's Hidden Century'. It highlights cosmopolitans like female pirate Shi Yang, Muslim pilgrim Yusuf ma Dexin, and dandy ambassador Chen Jitong. However, the review finds the rest less exciting, noting that imperial exams, official careers, and the Taiping Revolution (1850–64) shaped most subjects' trajectories. The book fails to account for anonymous laborers like porcelain makers, farmers, and railway builders. The review questions the concept of 'modern China', suggesting the book offers conflicting accounts through various lenses like postcolonial critique and globalization.