Overview
What does it take to reinvent a language?
After a meteoric rise, China today is one of the worldās most powerful nations. Just a century ago, it was a crumbling empire with literacy reserved for the elite few, as the world underwent a massive technological transformation that threatened to leave them behind. In Kingdom of Characters, Jing Tsu argues that Chinaās most daunting challenge was a linguistic one: the century-long fight to make the formidable Chinese language accessible to the modern world of global trade and digital technology.
Kingdom of Characters follows the bold innovators who reinvented the Chinese language, among them an exiled reformer who risked a death sentence to advocate for Mandarin as a national language, a Chinese-Muslim poet who laid the groundwork for Chairman Mao's phonetic writing system, and a computer engineer who devised input codes for Chinese characters on the lid of a teacup from the floor of a jail cell. Without their advances, China might never have become the dominating force we know today.
With larger-than-life characters and an unexpected perspective on the major events of Chinaās tumultuous twentieth century, Tsu reveals how language is both a technology to be perfected and a subtle, yet potent, power to be exercised and expanded.
This book title, Kingdom of Characters (Pulitzer Prize Finalist) (The Language Revolution That Made China Modern) - 9780735214736, ISBN: 9780735214736, by Jing Tsu, published by Penguin Publishing Group (January 17, 2023) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
Unlike Amazon and other retailers who may also offer Kingdom of Characters (Pulitzer Prize Finalist) (The Language Revolution That Made China Modern) - 9780735214736 books on their website, we specialize in large quantities and provide personal service, from trusted, experienced, friendly people in Portland, Oregon. We offer a Price Match Guarantee, and QuickQuote form, to make purchasing quick and easy.
Prefer to work with a human being when you order Kingdom of Characters (Pulitzer Prize Finalist) (The Language Revolution That Made China Modern) - 9780735214736 books in bulk? Our Book Specialists are standing by Monday-Friday 8-5 PST, ready to help!