Modern China. By Xiaobing Li. Understanding Modern Nations. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2015. 421 p. Acid free $89.00 (ISBN: 978-1-61069-625-8). E-book available (978-1-61069-626-5), call for pricing.
Are you still adding country studies to your print reference collection? If so, you might be interested in the Understanding Modern Nations series published by ABC-CLIO. Along with Modern China, ABC-CLIO released Modern Spain during 2015. Forthcoming titles will cover Brazil, Mexico, India, Japan, and South Africa. Why these particular countries? It appears that the publisher is pitching titles that they believe will be responsive to the needs of high school seniors and college undergraduates. If you have to write a paper on China, where do you begin your research? Print sources such as Modern China can be extremely helpful as a way to scope out your topic, picking up key words which can then make database searching more fruitful.
It is a well-organized subject encyclopedia with thorough coverage of the social sciences and humanities. There is also limited coverage of sports and popular culture. In terms of content and tone, it is comparable to the CQ Researcher or World Book. Most entries are about two pages in length, with a list of suggested reading at the end of each entry. The appendices are typical of what you would expect to find in any country study, except that the one called “a day in the life” is kind of unique. Here, you get fictionalized mini-biographies of Chinese people, including factory workers, students, and housewives.
Although high school students will probably be the biggest users of Modern China, they are by no means the only people who could benefit from it. Think of your local business community: what about trade delegations planning to visit China? Do you carry Chinese language instruction materials? If so, these patrons might wish to read up on the culture. Do you purchase foreign-language books or English translations of Chinese authors? You can find some information here that would aid in collection development.
Like all country studies in print, this book has a limited shelf life. How long can anything with the word “modern” in the title be considered as such? Nevertheless, it is a great starting point for most reference inquiries on China and is recommended for high school and public libraries.—Dana M. Lucisano, Reference Librarian, Silas Bronson Library, Waterbury, Connecticut