The Search for Modern China

By: Jonathan D. Spence

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 36 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth.

With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, from the waning days of the once-glorious Ming Dynasty to Deng Xiaoping’s bloody suppression of the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China. Through the ideas and emotions of its reformist Confucian scholars, its poets, novelists, artists, and visionary students, we see one of the world’s oldest cultures struggling to define itself as Chinese and modern.

©1990 Jonathan D. Spence (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“To understand…China’s past there is no better place to start than Jonathan D. Spence’s excellent new book.” ( New York Times Book Review)

“Monumental…History that is always lively, always concrete, always comprehensible.” ( New York Times)

“Rich and dramatic…A pleasure to read, as well as being immensely informative.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)

Don’t read tables please

Could have done without literally reading tables aloud. Just summarize the trends in the tables.

bad narrator!

Why pick someone who can’t pronounce chinese names to read a book about chinese history? Book is fantastic

Good book, Horrible Narration

This is by far the worst narration I have ever experienced. His pronunciation was terrible not only of Chinese names and places but also of Russian, German and others. Even worse, he was inconsistent in his mispronunciation. In a five minute setting you can hear 3 or 4 different pronunciations of the same name. Beyond this, the narrator sounded bored or arrogant. Perhaps he might have a niche career as an aristocrat villain in period pieces, but he has no business reading books.

Disappointing narration

You will not find a better book on Chinese history. Spence is an impressive researcher and writer.

It is extremely disappointing this audio version uses a narrator who does not know how to pronounce Chinese names and locations. Clearly the narrator does not need to be fluent in Chinese, but you would assume that either the narrator or the producer would take the time to learn the basics of Chinese pronunciation.

If there was another book even remotely comparable, I would return this and buy it. Unfortunately, I have not found a better option.

great book, but poor pronunciation of Chinese

Fantastic book, but I found it irritating that the reader/performer is unable to properly pronounce Chinese names and places.

Expect a cringe at every name of a place or person

I am astonished that the publishers would find someone who has so obviously no understanding of Mandarin to narrate this book. Even the most basic and common words are butchered in their pronunciation and made unintelligible for people who know the person or place by its proper name.

Its a wonderful book... ruined by an incompetent for this purpose narrator.

Classic for a reason

The narrator couldn't pronounce Chinese names & terms, which is a major drawback for a book this length. Other than that, one of the best surveys on modern China and possibly the best survey that's on audible.

Excellent book, lazy narrator

This is a classic textbook on early modern and modern Chinese history. I've very happy to see it finally appearing in audio form, and I hope there are more on the way.

I have one complaint: The pronunciation of most of the Chinese names is so wrong that the reader might as well be making up random noises. For example, "zhou" is pronounced "joe," not "zoo," and it matters because "zhou" appears in the names of most Chinese geographic locations outside Beijing and Shanghai. It would take 10 minutes for the reader to learn the absolute basics of how to pronounce Chinese names. By being too lazy to take those 10 minutes, the next 20? 30? hours of audio lose much of their value for any listener who hopes actually to learn something.

Great Narration, Bad Pronunciation

The book is amazing. The narration perfect, at least when using English words. The pronunciation of the Chinese words is very incorrect and distracting if you are familiar with Chinese. With that minor caveat, I heartily recommend this book.

Great history, distractingly terrible pronunciatio

Classic in modern Chinese history but I would have gladly exchanged Davidson's posh RP narration for literally any other narrator who knew how to pronounce Chinese names.