Taiwan, an island located off the east coast of southern China, is the largest piece of territory under the jurisdiction of the "nation" known officially as the Republic of China. Constant debate over whether Taiwan is its own sovereign state, part of the Republic of China, or part of the People's Republic of China has been going on for years. With Chinese leaders in the People's Republic of China rejecting Taiwan's legal separation and vowing that they will resolve the "Taiwan issue" by military force if necessary and most citizens of Taiwan opposing unification with China in the short run, it would appear that Taiwan faces some tough decisions ahead. The A to Z of Taiwan (Republic of China) offers insight into Taiwan's situation through a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, a map, a bibliography, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on important people, places, events, political parties, and institutions, as well as major political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of this island country. Whether or not Taiwan joins the People's Republic of China or gains its independence, Taiwan's outcome is of the utmost importance, and this reference provides the necessary information to understand its state of affairs.

Taiwan is a place of contradictions. Its successful economic and political modernization has stimulated the imaginations of most observers. Still, its nation-state status has been constricted and weakened. It covets and pursues peace, yet it is a vortex actor in global strategic/military competition. It is small, yet its importance far exceeds its size. It has long occupied a crucial place in history even though it has not sought this status, yet it appears inevitable that it will continue to do so. Historical Dictionary of Taiwan (Republic of China), Fifth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 600 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Taiwan.

When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power in October 1949 China was one of the poorest nations in the world. In fact, it was so weak it had been conquered by Japan, a country one-tenth its size, a decade earlier. Now, more than fifty years later, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is an emerging economic, political, and military superpower with the world's fastest growing economy and largest population (1.3 billion in 2005). A member of the United Nations Security Council since the early 1970s and a nuclear power, China wields enormous influence in the world community. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the People's Republic of China contains more than 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on individual topics spanning China's political, economic, and social system along with short biographies on important figures_from politicians to writers and movie directors_who have shaped Chinese history during the period of Communist rule from 1949 to 2006. Supplementing the entries are a chronology, an introduction, charts outlining the structure of the Chinese government, and a bibliography of works in English, making this a superb resource for college and high school students needing a quick reference on contemporary China.

Taiwan is an island located off the east coast of southern China. It is the largest piece of territory under the jurisdiction of the “nation” known officially as the Republic of China. Taiwan is a place of contradictions. Its successful economic and political modernization have stimulated the imaginations of most observers. Still its nation-state status has been constricted and weakened. It covets and pursues peace; yet it is a vortex actor in global strategic/military competition. It is small; yet its importance far exceeds its size. It has long occupied a critical place in history; even though it has not sought this it appears inevitable that it will continue to be so. This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of the Taiwan (Republic of China) covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Taiwan.

The relationship between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China is traced in this dictionary containing hundreds of cross-referenced entries on the presidents and prime ministers, the secretaries of state and foreign ministers, other key players, and the more significant institutions and events. Everything from the Boxer Uprising in the late 19th Century to Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972, from the crisis over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in 1982 to the U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy at Belgrade in 1999 is covered in this highly accessible scholarly work. The book's introduction and chronology delineate the many differences in political, military, and ideological issues between the two countries. Two appendixes list all the United States Presidents and Secretaries of State, as well as all the Republic of China Presidents and Prime Ministers and the People's Republic of China Presidents and Prime Ministers, respectively. Supplementing the material is an extremely detailed bibliography of related materials.

The Historical Dictionary of Modern China (1800-1949) offers a concise but comprehensive examination of the political, military, economic, social, and cultural development of modern China. Instead of focusing merely on the political elites of China, this reference covers a variety of significant persons, including women and ethnic minorities; new historical concepts; cultural and educational institutions; and economic activities. Drawing on newly-available records, including a large mass of governmental and family archives, the narratives presented reveal new facts, offer a new interpretation in accordance with China's modernization process during the late Qing period, and a revisionist perspective on the Republican history. The chronology records not only political and military events but also other experiences of the Chinese people. The bibliography gives prominence to current literature on China's drive towards modernization and appendixes provide the reader with detailed information on China's cultural and economic transformation.

The foreign relations of the People's Republic of China have gone through dramatic change since 1949. The strong-man rule of Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party leader's dominance of Chinese foreign policy decision making for three decades witnessed dramatic swings in alignment, repeated and strong commitments to revolutionary goals and ideals, and spasms of destructive mass campaigns within China that spilled over to impact Chinese foreign relations. Contrastingly, as China emerged in the 21st century as an economic and military power second only to the United States, the new generations of Chinese leaders followed collaborative and consultative patterns of foreign policy making at home and abroad, seeking to sustain into the coming decades the generally favorable recent international circumstances seen as providing a prolonged period of "strategic opportunity" for China's economic and broader national development. Historical Dictionary of Chinese Foreign Policy covers the more than 60 years of the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China. It provides reliable and comprehensive information and assessments about the major actors, developments, and other aspects of the foreign policy and foreign relations of the People's Republic of China. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, and over 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries dealing with important individuals, events, and other aspects of the foreign policy of this important country. It is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Chinese foreign policy.

This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Civil War studies the longer, broader war and its chronology carefully tracks the major events. The introduction then provides a broad overview, describing the contending forces, and showing how the Communists come out on top. The details, and these are crucial, are laid out in over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries dealing with the opposing forces and parties, the major campaigns and battles, the Long March, and of course the leadership on both sides. This book, one of few such in English, provides a very solid basis for study, but that can be accomplished more effectively by consulting the titles listed in an extensive bibliography.

Looks at this country during the period of 1949 through 1996, providing a brief history of the country during this time, which is marked by five distinct periods of economic reconstruction and political consolidation. Contains a selected bibliography and a list of acronyms and abbreviations. In the ASIAN/OCEANIAN HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES series.