When Chui Chuen-shun decided to write a book on Chinese history and culture, he did not have academics in mind.
Instead, it was his grandchildren, studying at international schools in Hong Kong, who inspired him. He saw a gap in the market for English books aimed at children that discussed ancient and contemporary Chinese history in a light, accessible manner.
“Chinese history is sometimes taught piecemeal, especially in international schools,” says Chui. “This book helps give context and a chronology of events in Chinese history and is written in a succinct and accessible style. I hope this will help students understand how and why history happened the way it did and how it affects us today.”
A Basic History of Ancient and Modern China was published in October 2023. Despite its intended audience, the book is ambitious in its scope: in just one volume, Chui covers the history of China from prehistoric times to the present.
The 288-page book begins with Yuanmou Man, who archaeologists believe lived in Yunnan province 1.7 million years ago. It ends by discussing modern China’s most geopolitically sensitive issues, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Diaoyu Islands that in Japan are known as the Senkaku Islands.
Chui hopes the book will reach the more than 45 million ethnic Chinese who are raised, educated and live outside China, for whom it is easy to lose connection to their ancestral history and cultural DNA.
“They might also want to learn more about their roots and the history of their ancestors, especially as China continues to evolve as a prominent global power,” he says. “I feel more people will feel the need to understand this part of their heritage.”
Although not a trained historian – he is a retired accountant – Hong Kong-born Chui says there are some unique perspectives he can offer, having spent 18 years working in mainland China.
That might explain why so much of the book focuses on China’s recent history, with just under half discussing post-1912 modern China, after 2,000 years of imperial rule came to an end.
It also focuses on Chinese core values and how they came about, with Chui using the framework laid out by Professor Zhang Lihua, of Tsinghua University, which says there are eight core values in China’s national psychology: harmony, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, loyalty and filial piety.
The study of traditional Chinese culture and values can aid in our understanding of life, culture and society in modern China
The fundamental principles of these values have not changed throughout the centuries, although they have evolved with time, Chui says.
“These values together emphasise community, social stability and social order. They are embodied in China’s diplomacy through the concept of harmony, the most important of Chinese traditional values.”
Chui says the importance, or even the necessity, for the world to try to understand Chinese history and values has increased in recent years in line with the country’s economic, technological and political growth.
“Chinese values and culture are prevalent in the lives of modern people in China. The philosophies of thousands of years ago are still visible and influence the culture today. The study of traditional Chinese culture and values can aid in our understanding of life, culture and society in modern China,” he says.
Responses to the book have been positive, Chui says. “I have older friends who have said that their grown-up children, who were born and educated overseas, have found this book uplifting. It brings me joy to see different audiences finding their own meaning and honour in being Chinese.”
