Superpower Interrupted: A Chinese History of the World

　　中國現今經濟體系、對待美國等外來世界的態度、與鄰近國家的敏感關係、對於民主及人權的定位，甚至如何對一個政權好壞的定義，都身受過去悠久歷史所影響。對中國人來說，中國自古以來都為世界最富裕的國家，擁有最強的軍隊、哲學思想百家爭鳴、文化底蘊深厚、科技領先全球，直到西方人第一次敲響中國大門，才節節敗退、簽下喪權辱國的條款、經濟大退步，開啟了嶄新卻又兵荒馬亂的時代。

　　作者為資深駐亞洲記者，在本書中分析中國在世界扮演的角色、歷史上有名的爭戰、偉大思想家以及影響中國走向的歷史性時刻，由此我們可以從中國人的「帝國視角」認識這個曾經威震四方的強國，如何試圖奪回往日榮光，也可以了解為何同一件事，中國人與西方人的版本卻大相徑庭，而這一切又如何影響了當代國際政治的樣貌。(文/博客來編譯)

This global history as the Chinese would write it gives brilliant and unconventional insights for understanding China’s role in the world, especially the drive to ＂Make China Great Again.＂

We in the West routinely ask: ＂What does China want?＂ The answer is quite simple: the superpower status it always had, but briefly lost.
In this colorful, informative story filled with fascinating characters, epic battles, influential thinkers, and decisive moments, we come to understand how the Chinese view their own history and how its narrative is distinctly different from that of Western civilization. More important, we come to see how this unique Chinese history of the world shapes China’s economic policy, attitude toward the United States and the rest of the world, relations with its neighbors, positions on democracy and human rights, and notions of good government.
As the Chinese see it, for as far back as anyone can remember, China had the richest economy, the strongest military, and the most advanced philosophy, culture, and technology. The collision with the West knocked China’s historical narrative off course for the first time, as its 5,000-year reign as an unrivaled superpower came to an ignominious end.
Ever since, the Chinese have licked their wounds and fixated on returning their country to its former greatness, restoring the Chinese version of its place in the world as they had always known it. For the Chinese, the question was never if they could reclaim their former dominant position in the world, but when.

Michael Schuman has been a foreign correspondent in Asia for 23 years, first with The Wall Street Journal and then as Time magazine’s international business correspondent based in Hong Kong and Beijing. He currently writes on a freelance basis for several publications: as a columnist for Bloomberg View and BusinessWeek and features for the New York Times and Forbes.