In China, history isn't just about the past - it shapes the future. With the rise of China over the past four decades, people increasingly look to China's turbulent modern history for clues about what the world will be like in the 21st century. The panelists will discuss how the newly published book, The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China, addresses such questions through an examination of the broad sweep of modern Chinese history, from the origins of modern China right up through the dramatic events of the past few years (the Beijing Games, the financial crisis, and China's rise to global economic pre-eminence) that have so fundamentally altered Western views of China and China's place in the world.

Isabel Hilton (@isabelhilton) is a writer/broadcaster who is founding editor of Chinadialogue, and has worked with the BBC, the New Yorker, the Guardian, Granta, the Independent, among others. Her books include Eating Mud Crabs in Kandahar andThe Search for the Panchen Lama. In 2009 she was awarded an OBE. 

Leigh Jenco is Associate Professor of Political Theory at LSE. 

Jeffrey Wasserstrom (@jwassers) is Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, where he also edits the Journal of Asian Studies. 

William A. Callahan is Professor of International Relations at LSE.

The Department of International Relations (@LSEIRDept) is now in its 88th year making it one of the oldest and largest in the world. 

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEChina

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