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The Manchu. By PAMELA KYLE CROSSLEY. Oxford and Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 1997. xv, 239 pp. $29.95.
The first volume published in Blackwell's new series The Peoples of Asia edited by Morris Rossabi, this monograph is a welcome addition to the ever growing literature on the Manchus and the Qing dynasty. In it, Pamela Crossley explains who the Manchus were, describes how they conquered China, and outlines the consequences that the establishment of the Qing dynasty had for both the Manchus and their subjects. She demonstrates that the Qing was an empire of world stature and dispels the common, albeit misinformed, notion that the Manchus were ultimately "conquered" by the Chinese and thoroughly sinicized during the Qing dynasty.
The Manchus contains six substantial chapters and a seventh chapter that functions as a brief epilogue. The first chapter serves as a general introduction. Chapter 2 discusses the origins of the Manchus and the evolution of distinctive Manchu institutions. Chapter 3 probes the various portrayals of Nurgaci (more commonly known as Nurhaci) and traces his rise to power, showing that his was a regional government, rather than a conquest regime. Chapter 4 describes the founding of the Qing dynasty, the subsequent status of bannermen,...