Firsthand materials unveiled for the first time

Wang Jingwei & Modern China

We curated a wealth of primary source material including handwritten manuscripts, unfinished drafts, scribbled notes, drawings, diagrams and photographs into a six-volume series.

THE TASK

The Wang Jingwei Irrevocable Trust came to us with We were asked to help further the understanding the historical figure Wang Jingwei (1883-1944) using his own words, those of his associates, and factual events. Without interpretation, analysis or opinion. The Trust believes that the unfiltered voices of the the historical figures themselves would provide a more complete portrayal of Wang Jingwei.

With these publications, we seek to not only further the understanding of history, but to encourage others to share their ancestors’ material. EIGHT CORNERS PRODUCTIONS helped us accomplish this beautifully.
The Wang Jingwei Irrevocable Trust

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

Partnering with a philologist and other specialists across the globe, we studied, identified and organized the archival material. Footnotes, prefaces and introductory texts were written to complement the material — some dating back to the early 1900s — and appeal to today’s readers. The rest was left to the authors’ own creations which we displayed in entirety, along with full transcriptions.

The book designs maximized the use of client-supplied archival images and handwritings to supplement the text-heavy publications. Transcriptions with visual guides for easier reading placed next to the original works keeps the focus on the archival documents.

Aside from deciphering and transcribing thousands of pages of never-seen before handwritten manuscripts, another challenge we faced was the fact that no quality books has been published for the general reader on Wang Jingwei. Market reception was impossible to gauge on the first publication of a vast collection of materials about a controversial, and often vilified, political figure? Would there be a market at all?

Our first decision was to partner with the premier China Times Publishing, Inc (R.O.C.) whose audience reaches far beyond academia. The other decision is to focus on the integrity of the material and market the inherent value of its publication. The result? Here are some responses:

The records and works of this one man may shatter our conventional views, leading to a fresh perspective and a deeper understanding of modern China’s political experience.

WANG KE-WEN Emeritus Professor of History, St. Michael’s College

For the benefit of the Greater China cultural sphere, the book series is well worth a read.

CHIP TSAO Columnist, Media Personality

Unlike other books which are pieced together with “evidence” from various sources, these books use first-hand material. A must-read for those who study modern history!

LI LONGBIAO Historian

This collection of historical archives bears witness to how a true believer of nationalism and pacifism navigated through twists and turns in order to rescue the nation during tumultuous times. It is an indispensable material for understanding Wang Jingwei as well as the characteristics of that period in history.

EUGENE W. CHIU Former Dean of College of Arts at Tunghai University

The series provides precious material for studying Wang Jingwei, including a never-before published draft of an autobiography, private letters, political writings, handwritten poetry manuscripts, details about his life, remembrances of his closest associates, etc. Reading the books allows us to further understand Wang’s life philosophy, emotional life, political thought, poetic accomplishments, furthering our appreciation of his true person.

PROFESSOR CHIU KAY TANG Dean, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Chu Hai College of Higher Education

The greatest significance of this collection is that it allows this historical figure to take his rightful place in history. To have his written works taken seriously, so they can be read and understood enables us to get even closer to history; and to reconstruct the true history.

PROFESSOR CHEN DEN-WU National Taiwan Normal University, Department of History

From the perspective of academic rigor, this series offers twice the value.
HSU YUMING Associate Professor of History at National Dong Hwa University

No matter how young or old one may be, reading Wang Jingwei & Modern China will be both a mind changing and enjoyable experience.

CHAO CHENG-MING Chairman and President of China Times Publishing, Inc.

Needless to say, this series is of great interest to historians. But even more significant, is that the Wang Jingwei portrayed in the books emerges as not only a politician, but a real-life human with laughter, tears, emotions, interests, and relationships with other people.

DR. LIANG JIYONG Philologist

Indispensable for any student of Wang Jingwei!

DR LEUNG WAI-KEI Manager, Department of Publishing, Joint Publishing (Hong Kong) Company Limited

These six monumental works, with content rarely seen today, are significant to the study of Wang Jingwei. They restore the true Wang Jingwei.

WONG YU CHEUNG Editor at Yazhou Zhoukan

The six-volume series Wang Jingwei & Modern China was launched at the July 2019 Hong Kong Book Fair, coordinated with other events and comprehensive digital marketing which continues to this day. The series has received enthusiastic media coverage in Hong Kong, Taiwan (R.O.C.) and the People’s Republic of China.

THE RESULT?

ALL PRINT COPIES ARE SOLD OUT

We‘ve been selected to produce and publish e-books with expanded content.

SELECTED MEDIA APPEARANCES