This new edition of the classic history of modern China since the seventeenth century has been updated to examine the return of Hong Kong in 1997 and the upcoming return of Macao in 1999. In his new concluding chapter, Hsu discusses the end of the last vestiges of foreign imperialism in China, as well as China's emergence as a regional and global superpower. US-China rivalry and the prospect of unification between China and Taiwan are also considered. Sections cover: The Persistence of Traditional Institutions, 1600-1800; Foreign Aggression and Domestic Rebellions, 1800-1864; Self-strengthening in an Age of Accelerated Foreign Imperialism; Reform and Revolution, 1898-1912; Ideological Awakening and the War of Resistance; The Rise of the Chinese People's Republic; China After Mao: The Search for a New Order.