China¿s hidden century - 1796-1912

'[H]andsomely illustrated- - Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide `The exhibition catalogue-s seven essays-are a guide to [a] re-reading of the past, threading the relics on display into a rich tapestry of what life entailed under the last century of Manchu reign.- - Rhoda Kwan, The Mekong Review Cultural creativity in China between 1796 and 1912 demonstrated extraordinary resilience at a time of intense external and internal warfare and socioeconomic turmoil. Innovation can be seen in material culture (including print, painting, calligraphy, textiles, fashion, jewellery, ceramics, lacquer, glass, arms and armour, silver, and photography) during a century in which China-s art, literature, crafts and technology faced unprecedented exposure to global influences. 1796 - the official end of the reign of the Qianlong emperor - is viewed as the close of the `high Qing- and the start of a period of protracted crisis. In 1912, the last emperor, Puyi, abdicated after the revolution of 1911, bringin