Note: LATEST and specially autographed by the author himself at the book launch on 6/10/26.

How does a civilisation rise again after revolution, rupture and reinvention? China's modern transformation was shaped by two revolutions: the 1911 overthrow of dynastic rule and the 1949 remaking of state and society. In this wide-ranging historical reflection, Wang Gungwu traces how China struggled to reconcile its civilisational inheritance with the urgent demands of progress, sovereignty, industrialisation and global power.

Moving from the ancient idea of geming and the Mandate of Heaven, to republican nationalism, socialism with Chinese characteristics, maritime strategy and China's place in the Indo-Pacific, the book examines how Chinese leaders repeatedly sought renewal without severing continuity with the past. It explores the tension between heritage and modernity, land and sea, ideology and pragmatism, and China's relations with Southeast Asia and the wider world. At its heart is a searching account of how China's long history of falls and rises continues to shape its quest for future progress.

Sample Chapter(s): Introduction

Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• NOT THE OLD DREAM:
  • Geming: the Mandate of Legitimacy
  • Revolutions and Irreversible Change
  • Joining a World of Nations
• DOUBLE HERITAGE:
  • Global Maritime and Local Seas
  • Ideology as Foundation and not Dogma
  • Searching for a New Orthodoxy
  • Building the Party-Nation
  • Historical Records Teach Lessons
• NEW GLOBAL ORDER:
  • Victory of Industrial Capitalism
  • Borders of a Growing Regionalism
  • New Paths of Continuity
  • Dream of a Zhonghua Nation
  • Rejuvenating a Resilient Civilisation
• NAVIGATING DISORDER:
  • The Sage of Progress was Right
  • Return to Legalist Foundations
  • Calls to Promote Unity
• NOT A CONCLUSION:
  • Living With a Region
  • My Perspectives of the South
• Bibliography
• Index

Readership: Academics & Students — Scholars, researchers, and university students in history, political science, international relations, and Chinese studies; Policymakers & Analysts — Government officials, think tank researchers, and policy analysts interested in China's historical evolution and global role; General Readers & China Enthusiasts — Readers with an interest in Chinese history, revolution, culture, and global affairs.

Author: Wang Gungwu is a University Professor at the National University of Singapore and an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University. He holds a BA Hons and MA from the University of Malaya in Singapore; and PhD from SOAS University of London. He was a professor of history at the University of Malaya; professor of Far Eastern history at the Australian National University; and vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. His recent publications include Home is not Here (2018); China Reconnects: Joining a Deep-Rooted Past to a New World Order (2019); Home is Where We Are (with Margaret Wang, 2020); Living with Civilisations: Reflections on Southeast Asia's Local and National Cultures (2023); Roads to Chinese Modernity: Civilisation and National Culture (2025); and No Borders: Journeys Across Islands and Continents (2026).