What Remains : Coming to Terms with Civil War in 19th Century China

By calling attention to the human costs of China's Taiping War, __What Remains__ offers new perspectives on issues of abiding interest to historians of 19th and 20th century China: the effects of lingering dynastic decline, the effects of violence on local communities, the emergence of elite activism, and the changing relationship between state and society. "The Taiping Rebellion was one of the costliest civil wars in human history. Many millions of people lost their lives. Yet while the Rebellion has been intensely studied by scholars in China and elsewhere, we still know little of how individuals coped with these cataclysmic events. Drawing upon a rich array of primary sources, What Remains explores the issues that preoccupied Chinese and Western survivors. Individuals, families, and communities grappled with fundamental questions of loyalty and loss as they struggled to rebuild shattered cities, bury the dead, and make sense of the horrors that they had witnessed. Driven by compelling accounts of raw emotion and deep injury, What Remains opens a window to a world described by survivors themselves. This book transforms our understanding of China's 19th century and re-contextualizes suffering and loss in China during the 20th century."--Page 4 of cover The Taiping Rebellion was one of the costliest civil wars in human history. Many millions of people lost their lives. Yet while the Rebellion has been intensely studied by scholars in China and elsewhere, we still know little of how individuals coped with these cataclysmic events. Drawing upon a rich array of primary sources, What Remains explore the issues that preoccupied Chinese and Western survivors. Individuals, families, and communities grappled with fundamental questions of loyalty and loss as they struggled to rebuild shattered cities, bury the dead, and make sense of the horrors that had witnessed. Driven by compelling accounts of raw emotion and deep injury, What Remains opens a window to a world described by survivors themselves. This book transforms our understanding of China's 19th century and re-contextualizes suffering and loss in China during the 20th century. Book jacket The Taiping Rebellion was one of the costliest civil wars in human history. Tens of millions of people lost their lives, as Chinese rebels, imperial armies, and local militias clashed across the Yangzi Delta. Yet while the Rebellion has been intensely studied, little is known of how individuals coped with these cataclysmic events. Drawing upon a rich array of primary sources, this study explores the issues that preoccupied Chinese and Western survivors. Individuals, families, and communities grappled with fundamental questions of loyalty and loss as they struggled to rebuild shattered cities, bury the dead, and make sense of the horrors that they had witnessed