The “new political history” and the study of modern Chinese history

In recent years, the research field of modern Chinese history has witnessed a growing stream of academic studies which resonate with the Western “new political history,” giving new impetus to the development of the field. In the study of political events, the methodological significance of event-centered analysis has promoted the expansion of the academic horizons of traditional political history. In the study of political institutions, process-oriented dynamic analysis has made a “living institutional history” possible. In the study of political behavior, ordinary people have gradually come to the attention of historians. In the study of political culture, the tension between historical reality and representation has inspired new research perspectives. In the study of political concepts, the “linguistic turn” has revealed the dual functions of political concepts in historical processes. While the new political history has injected vitality into the study of modern Chinese political history, it is also important to recognize its boundaries and limitations, and to guard against the tendency of pursuing novelty for its own sake or overcorrecting past biases.