Grace Shen's book Unearthing the Nation: Modern Geology and Nationalism in Republican China is the most recent addition to a growing number of publications on the history of science in modern China. It contributes new and important insights into a field hitherto largely neglected by historical research. Geology can with some justification be considered the leading scientific discipline in Republican China, frequently cited as a model to be emulated by other sciences and the humanities. Shen's book is the first monograph on the subject in a Western language, although she was able to draw on Yang Tsui-hua's unpublished PhD thesis and a considerable number of scholarly articles in Western languages and in Chinese, listed in the extensive bibliography.

While Shen acknowledges that the development of geology in modern China is influenced by imperialism, she stresses that the Chinese development did not follow the classical model of colonial science. The Chinese themselves had established geological institutions and had trained technical personnel during the early Republican period. Shen states that the central concern of her study is not the travel of geological science from the West and Japan to China but rather “the workings of science itself and the distinctive features of its novel surroundings” (p. 6). One core concern of Chinese geologists of this period was – as for many other scientists and intellectuals – the nation, and during the Republican era the key link for geologists between the authority of geology and loyalty to China was the land.

Grace Shen's exploration of the development of geology is very well structured. While basically adhering to a chronological order, she is able to identify specific themes that are of particular importance during the different stages of development, such as geological fieldwork during the early Republican era, or the cosmopolitanism of the Geological Society of China during the 1920s. These topics are skilfully intertwined with Shen's analyses of political developments, the interests of certain Chinese geologists, and the application of contested theories – such as plate tectonics or a “polygenetic” theory of petroleum. Shen's findings are built on a solid documentary base, including material from various archives. While the author focuses on the Republican era, she also examines the formative period. In geology as well as in other scientific fields, a considerable degree of continuity can be observed between the late Qing and the Republican era, often with repercussions up to the present day. Since Shen is less interested in processes of science transfer, she focuses less on terminological issues than other studies which highlight the rather crucial role of this aspect. Shen is aware of the problems caused by terminological issues (p. 39) but completely refrains from exploring how they were eventually solved. I think that the efforts of Du Qibao and others, who in 1930 first published the gigantic and influential Dictionary of Geology and Mining (Dizhi kuangwuxue da cidian, Commercial Press), deserve at least a mention. These efforts, which found their first cumulation in the Dictionary, were to some extent a pre-condition for the large-scale publishing of Chinese-language geological knowledge, which is discussed by the author in the fifth chapter. It might have been useful to discuss these issues within the framework of the general tendency to bring about a “mandarinization of science” (kexue zhi guoyuhua), which was of considerable importance in China during the 1930s (Zhang Qiyun, “Kexue yu kexuehua” [Science and scientification], Kexue de Zhongguo 1/1, 1933, pp. 4–11). For the sake of completeness we should note here that Zhou Shuren's (Lu Xun) Zhongguo dizhi lüelun from 1903 certainly contributed to the popularization of the original Japanese term dizhixue in China, as highlighted by Shen, but it was not the first occurrence (p. 42). It had been used by Huang Zunxian in 1890 (Riben guozhi), in Liang Qichao's work as early as 1896 (beyond the narrower scope of geology), and in 1902 it was integrated into the “Imperially approved regulations governing the Imperial University.” The term dizhi in its modern sense as “geology” was also used earlier than 1903 (p. 212).

Grace Shen stresses the particular trajectory of the development of geology in Republican China, and thus quite correctly goes beyond viewing geology as a mere example for the localization of science. However, given that members of the Chinese scientific establishment such as Ren Hongjun (H. C. Zen) considered geology as the discipline in which localization could be achieved most successfully (Zen H.C., “Science: Its Introduction and Development in China” in Chen Zen Sophia H. (ed.), Symposium on Chinese Culture, Shanghai: China Institute of Pacific Relations 1931, pp. 142–51.), it might have been useful to examine this more systematically. Ding Wenjiang's interest in the Ming scholar Xu Xiake (mentioned on p. 22) was partially due to Xu's geographical observations; it was also, however, an attempt to promote the localization of geology, by postulating that a proto-geology had long existed in China and had contributed to modern geology. The same also applies to Ding's interest into the Tiangong kaiwu, as suggested by Charlotte Furth, and for the work of other Chinese geologists. Especially notable in this respect is the work of one of the main protagonists of Shen's book Zhang Hongzhao, whose Shiya (Lapidarium Sincicum, 1920) served practical purposes (as for example terminology), but also pointed out the great historical interest in stones and minerals in China. Shen fails to mention Zhang's book, which was quite successful and saw a second edition published in 1928. Interestingly this edition had an English preface written by Ding Wenjiang and a French preface written by Weng Wenhao. Localization of geology thus was also directed towards the international community, which fits neatly into the issue of internationalization discussed by the author in some detail in chapter three.

These minor points, however, are not a critique, but rather a suggestion, into which further research could be directed. Grace Shen's book constitutes a major contribution to a fledgling field. Her “Conclusion” (p. 175) is an intellectual tour de force through the development of science in modern China. It is brilliantly written, inspiring and should become required reading not only for those interested into the development of science in modern China but also for general historians of China. Unearthing the Nation deserves much attention, and will undoubtedly spark further interest in this important topic.