The Modern History of China (1840- 1949) edited by Ma Min and Peng Nansheng basically follows the view that the history of 1840- 1949 is regarded as the modern history of China.
Introduction to this book:
1, with the Opium War of 1840 as the upper limit and the birth of New China of 1949 as the lower limit, these two events are significant landmark events in the modern history of China. After 1949, it belongs to the category of China's modern history, which is beyond the narrative scope of this textbook.
2. The First Opium War was the beginning of China's modern history. Since then, China has entered a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The so-called semi-colony, from the national status, China's territorial sovereignty, judicial sovereignty, customs autonomy and other aspects have been destroyed, and it is no longer an independent and complete sovereign country.
3. "A country within a country"-the emergence of the concession. After the First Opium War, great changes have taken place in some cities along the southeast coast of China. After Hong Kong was ceded to Britain, the population increased rapidly from 2,000 to 20,000, and reached 70,000 to 80,000 in the 1950s. Hong Kong became the base of British economic plunder and armed aggression against China.