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2011 Book Review #62: A Short History of China and Southeast Asia
Title: A Short History of China and Southeast Asia: Tribute, Trade, and Influence
Author: Martin Stuart-Fox
Genre: History (Asian)
Thingummies: 3
Synopsis: An exceedingly compressed history of the tribute relationship between China and the various countries in Southeast Asia.
Thoughts: I really need to get better at reading the backs of nonfiction books.
Although, in my defense, I feel as if the cover was somewhat deceptive. I was looking for an overview of Chinese history, as an orientation. (I've read about some specific periods, but have trouble keeping them straight in my head. I wanted a framework.) The front cover of this book says in medium letters "A Short History of" and then in GIGANTIC letters "CHINA". Then in smaller letters "And Southeast Asia", with the subtitle even smaller than that. The text on the back was kind of vague. So I figured it was a history mostly of China with some Southeast Asian history thrown in. I was up for that--I don't know anything about Southeast Asia except for the Vietnam War, a little bit about Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and a pathetic sliver of info about Thailand gleaned from The King and I, which would be basically nothing. Oh, and some awareness of how to do business in modern Singapore, which is not particularly helpful here.
Well, what the book is actually about is the history of the relationship between China and Southeast Asia. There's very little about the history of any single country at all. Dynasties change practically off stage, the Mongol invasion is important only in how it changed (and didn't change) the tributary system, the Great Wall gets one off-hand reference, both Opium Wars together merit two paragraphs in total. Once again, I have picked a book intended for an expert in a subject I know nothing about. Whoops.
There are some parts, mostly when comparing the different worldviews of the Chinese and of other Asians and how they interacted to create mutually beneficial yet noncomprehending relationships (and why this didn't work for the Europeans), that are really fascinating stuff. A lot of it feels pretty repetitive, though. All the good stuff happens over in some other book. Prince X will overthrow King Y in country Z in three sentences, and then the next four paragraphs are about the minute change in tribute missions that resulted. The number of tribute missions sent in a decade is a useful piece of information from some perspectives, just not particularly mine.
There's nothing actually wrong with this book. And bits of it were enlightening and so I'm glad to have read it. But unless you already know why there's a debate over the Paracel and Spratly Islands, this is probably not the book for you. (I do now understand just enough about the competing claims over South China Sea islands to be seriously concerned about China making a move in a decade or so. The more you know, the more detailed your nightmares can be!)
Author: Martin Stuart-Fox
Genre: History (Asian)
Thingummies: 3
Synopsis: An exceedingly compressed history of the tribute relationship between China and the various countries in Southeast Asia.
Thoughts: I really need to get better at reading the backs of nonfiction books.
Although, in my defense, I feel as if the cover was somewhat deceptive. I was looking for an overview of Chinese history, as an orientation. (I've read about some specific periods, but have trouble keeping them straight in my head. I wanted a framework.) The front cover of this book says in medium letters "A Short History of" and then in GIGANTIC letters "CHINA". Then in smaller letters "And Southeast Asia", with the subtitle even smaller than that. The text on the back was kind of vague. So I figured it was a history mostly of China with some Southeast Asian history thrown in. I was up for that--I don't know anything about Southeast Asia except for the Vietnam War, a little bit about Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and a pathetic sliver of info about Thailand gleaned from The King and I, which would be basically nothing. Oh, and some awareness of how to do business in modern Singapore, which is not particularly helpful here.
Well, what the book is actually about is the history of the relationship between China and Southeast Asia. There's very little about the history of any single country at all. Dynasties change practically off stage, the Mongol invasion is important only in how it changed (and didn't change) the tributary system, the Great Wall gets one off-hand reference, both Opium Wars together merit two paragraphs in total. Once again, I have picked a book intended for an expert in a subject I know nothing about. Whoops.
There are some parts, mostly when comparing the different worldviews of the Chinese and of other Asians and how they interacted to create mutually beneficial yet noncomprehending relationships (and why this didn't work for the Europeans), that are really fascinating stuff. A lot of it feels pretty repetitive, though. All the good stuff happens over in some other book. Prince X will overthrow King Y in country Z in three sentences, and then the next four paragraphs are about the minute change in tribute missions that resulted. The number of tribute missions sent in a decade is a useful piece of information from some perspectives, just not particularly mine.
There's nothing actually wrong with this book. And bits of it were enlightening and so I'm glad to have read it. But unless you already know why there's a debate over the Paracel and Spratly Islands, this is probably not the book for you. (I do now understand just enough about the competing claims over South China Sea islands to be seriously concerned about China making a move in a decade or so. The more you know, the more detailed your nightmares can be!)