Discovering History in China:

Recently, the phrase “discovering history in China” has been very popular in China. Quite a number of Chinese scholars, however, treat the phrase like “currency”, as what Li Dazhao put it, circulating and distributing it frequently without looking at its original meaning seriously. Initially, Paul Cohen’s Discovering History in China was aimed specifically at the Western, particularly American, studies of Chinese history. It may not be propitious to the historical studies in China. In fact, Chinese studies on modern China had long been concentrated on the interior substances, while paying less attention to the outside “impact” on China. It would be more appropriate to the Chinese scholarshop if we follow an approach of discovering “history in China”. That is to say, to pay sloser attention to the thoughts and activities of people, including the Chinese and foreighers, in the place of China.overingHi