The Asia for Educators website has just launched a new module - China and Europe: What is "Modern" with Ken Pomeranz and Bin Wong. If your screen does not automatically update itself, everyone should "refresh" our home page. Some of the questions explored in this multimedia unit are:
How do new findings change the conventional historical storyline: that China was "stagnant" and economic "modernization" began as a "reaction" to the Western initiative in the late 1800s, specifically after the Opium War with England?

How do we define "modern," then, and when and where does it begin?

And how do new perspectives on China affect our understanding of China's development path in the 21st century and our current understanding of world history?

Let us know what you think and we hope you find it useful in your seminars and courses.
Asia for Educators