Qing (1636–1912) was the last empire in China. For decades, historians have portrayed the Qing empire as either ruthlessly exploitative and corrupt, or culturally glorious and economically supreme. However, the evidence now suggests new ways of telling Qing history that look beyond earlier conventions to tell a more complex story of economic growth and political continuity that still shapes the world today. This definitive new history explores the period in all its magnificent complexity to place Qing China in the broader context of Eurasian and global history. Backed by the latest research while engaging with long-standing interpretive questions and unsolved mysteries, Pamela Crossley challenges readers to consider the dynamic relationship between facts and interpretation. China's Global Empire is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand this transformative period in both Chinese and world history.

‘This book offers an amazing and brilliant review of the Qing dynasty. Both historically well informed and historiographically alert, Pamela Crossley lays out all the assumptions that prevail today and now cloud the international perception of China. More importantly, she leaves it to the reader to decide how to understand the Manchu occupation of China.'

Timothy Brook - author of Great State: China and the World

‘China's Global Empire: The Qing, 1636-1912 refashions our understanding of Qing as Chinese dynasty, Eurasian empire and driver of the early modern global economy. With the same originality and impatience for conventional wisdom that put her in vanguard of a major revision of Qing history, Pamela Crossley shakes up our pedagogy of the period with volleys of new insights. In lecture hall, seminar room and conference corridors, we will be digesting and contesting this book for years to come.'

James Millward - author of The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction

‘This volume stands as the culmination of Crossley's career of research and interpretation on the Qing empire. Magisterial in its command of the scholarship yet remarkably fluent in style, the book is as intellectually authoritative as it is engaging to read. Crossley guides the reader through the complexities of imperial state-building-conquest, court politics, and cultural integration. It is difficult to put down, even as it probes the rise and eventual collapse of one of the world's oldest and most sophisticated empires.'

Prasenjit Duara - author of The Crisis of Global Modernity: Asian Traditions and a Sustainable Future

‘This is no ordinary history of China. Pamela Crossley's account of the Qing makes the long story of this empire a riveting read packed with informative vignettes and deep analysis. It is original, imaginative and convincing in its argument that China's history cannot be studied separately from global history. There is no better guide to the underlying forces shaping the relationship between China and the world today.'

Peter C. Perdue - author of China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia