For the past century, all kinds of Chinese people seemed to have tried to be “modern”. At the same time, the standards of modernity have been set elsewhere and they seem always to be higher than what has been achieved. That makes most Chinese work harder, but some may well wonder if standards rise so that China will always get a poor report card at the end of each year.The ongoing drama of Chinese people seeking to be modern has been enacted in different parts of the world. There are interesting differences among these Chinese, depending on where they have been living. The general trend, however, is unmistakable. The striving for betterment is supported by a strong capacity to adapt and change, and this is reflected in the way the Chinese seize new opportunities when they occur. The essays here describe some of these efforts both inside and outside China, and form a small mosaic of Chinese practising the art of modernising.Contents:Joining the Modern WorldThe Chinese Revolution and the Overseas ChineseA Single Chinese Diaspora?Hong Kong and an Ambivalent ModernityThe Shanghai-Hong Kong LinkageTransforming the Trading ChineseChinese Values and Memories of Modern WarModern Work Cultures and the ChineseReadership: General.Key Features:The contributions of numerous authors in the field are recast in a unified manner accessible to both novice and expert. Close to one thousand communications were laboriously examined and reshaped into a coherent, interconnected expositionParticular attention to the literature of the last 10 years seamlessly combined with original pioneering works (1985-1995)