China and Its Rulers from the Days of the Ming to the Era of Xi Jinping: A Dialogue on the Perils, Pitfalls, and Pleasures of Writing for Broad Audiences
Discussion followed by Q&A
- Date:
- Time:
- 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Event type:
- Lectures and seminars
- Contact email:
- Email us
- Venue:
- Lower ground floor
- Address:
- Kin-ku Cheng Lecture Theatre (lower ground floor) Dickson Poon Building Canterbury Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 6LU United Kingdom
Description
China and Its Rulers from the Days of the Ming to the Era of Xi Jinping: A Dialogue on the Perils, Pitfalls, and Pleasures of Writing for Broad Audiences
This event will feature Craig Clunas and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, cultural historians who have specialized in the study of Chinese art and of Chinese protest, respectively, but share some basic interests and goals. One is a conviction that China is often portrayed as more internally homogenous and shaped more by continuities over long stretches of time than it is. Another is an interest in finding ways to inform and ideally also sometimes entertain non-specialist as well as specialist readers. This shows through in the style and content of their accessible new books, Sons of Heaven: Family and Dynasty in Ming China, just out from Reaktion Books, and Everything You Wanted to Know about China (But Were Afraid to Ask), out earlier in 2026 from Bui Jones Books. The dialog will be moderated by Todd Hall, Director of the Centre.
Craig Clunas is Professor Emeritus of Chinese Art, Trinity College Oxford. He is the author of, in addition to Sons of Heaven, books such as Chinese Painting and Its Audiences (Princeton University Press, 2017). Among his other activities, he co-curated the major 2014 exhibition on the Ming held at the British Museum.
Jeffrey Wasserstrom is Distinguished Professor of History, UC Irvine. In addition to writing books such as Everything You Wanted to Know about China (which is now just out in the UK and Singapore but will be published in other markets by Stanford University Press next year), he edited The Oxford History of Modern China (OUP, 2022).
This event will feature Craig Clunas and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, cultural historians who have specialized in the study of Chinese art and of Chinese protest, respectively, but share some basic interests and goals. One is a conviction that China is often portrayed as more internally homogenous and shaped more by continuities over long stretches of time than it is. Another is an interest in finding ways to inform and ideally also sometimes entertain non-specialist as well as specialist readers. This shows through in the style and content of their accessible new books, Sons of Heaven: Family and Dynasty in Ming China, just out from Reaktion Books, and Everything You Wanted to Know about China (But Were Afraid to Ask), out earlier in 2026 from Bui Jones Books. The dialog will be moderated by Todd Hall, Director of the Centre.
Craig Clunas is Professor Emeritus of Chinese Art, Trinity College Oxford. He is the author of, in addition to Sons of Heaven, books such as Chinese Painting and Its Audiences (Princeton University Press, 2017). Among his other activities, he co-curated the major 2014 exhibition on the Ming held at the British Museum.
Jeffrey Wasserstrom is Distinguished Professor of History, UC Irvine. In addition to writing books such as Everything You Wanted to Know about China (which is now just out in the UK and Singapore but will be published in other markets by Stanford University Press next year), he edited The Oxford History of Modern China (OUP, 2022).