Event Details
Jonathan Spence PhD '65, the late Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University, was renowned for bringing the lives of individuals into focus, revealing the larger forces of history through their choices, struggles, and everyday experiences. His scholarship often looked beyond grand historical narratives to explore how ordinary people experiencedโand sometimes shapedโtheir times.
On October 17, as part of Yale Center Beijing's Jonathan Spence Memorial Series, Xiaoyou Zheng, Research Librarian at the National Library of China, and Fan Zhang, Professor in the Department of History at Peking University, will discuss Zheng's recently published book, People in the Crevices of History. Through the lives of 12 Qing officials, the book traces nearly three centuries of historical change, from the MingโQing transition to the late Qing and early Republican period, exploring their careers, personal choices, and emotional lives along the way. The conversation will consider how the experiences of individuals can offer a more intimate perspective on the forces and transformations that shaped an era.
