China's Rise in Historical Perspective

Klaus Mühlhahn
Professor
Chinese History and Culture
Freie Universität Berlin

Many commentators claim that China's ongoing global rise reflects a restoration of its earlier international prominence, while others highlight that China's emergence reflects distinctive characteristics of the country's current political leadership. In his new book, "Making China Modern", Klaus Mühlhahn of the Free University of Berlin provides a panoramic survey of China's rise and resilience through war and rebellion, disease and famine. At this talk, Professor Mühlhahn will focus on the lessons from history that provide insight into China's evolving international position and how the United States and others should respond.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Mühlhahn studied Sinology at Freie Universität Berlin and National Taiwan Normal University and graduated in 1993 with a Magister degree. After working at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Turku, Finland, the Indiana University, Bloomington US, he returned to Freie Universität Berlin as professor of history and culture of China in 2010. He is now deputy director of the Graduate School of East Asian Studies and since 2014 Vice-President of Freie Universität Berlin. He has published widely on modern Chinese History (18th to 20th centuries) with focus on social history, comparative and transnational history and is a frequent commentator on China for the German media. In his book "Criminal Justice in China", published 2009 in the Harvard University Press, he analyzed the criminal justice system and its roots in politics, society and culture. For this oeuvre, he was awarded the same year with the John K. Fairbank-prize for East Asian History of the American Historical Association. His book “Making China Modern”, published by the Harvard University Press in January 2019, rewrites China’s history, telling a story of crisis and recovery, exploring the versatility and resourcefulness essential for China’s survival as well as its future possibilities.