Elizabeth J. Perry, FBA is a distinguished United States scholar of Chinese politics and history in the Department of Government, Harvard University (United States) where she is Henry Rosovsky Professor of Government and Director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute.

Scholarly Debates On The Nien The Social Background of the Birth of the Nien Army. A Discussion of the Nien Society (1808-1853). The Relationship Between the Nien Army and the White Lotus Society. The Mobile Warfare of the New Taiping Army [Excerpts from the Preface] ... An Explanation of the [Term] Nien. Interpretations of the Name of the Nien Army. The Historical Development of the Nien - Some Tentative Thoughts on Terminology. The Proper Name of the Nien Army. Nien Rebellion Stories Kung Te Joins the Nien. Erh-lao Yüan. Lao-lo's Resistance to Arrest. Fight for Food. Fu Ch'eng-ku and Chang Heng. Miss Ts'ai. Coffin Trick. Killing Niu Keng

The study of peasant rebellion constitutes a major research field among contemporary Chinese historians. This book brings together translated excerpts of primary and secondary materials dealing with one of the largest rebellions in Chinese history: the Nien Rebellion of 1851-1868. The selections have been made with two main purposes in mind. First, they have been chosen with an eye toward introducing some new types of source materials for the study of Chinese peasant rebellion. Original field research conducted by Chinese scholars in the late 1950s uncovered important information not contained in official documentary collections. Second, the selections offer a sample of the nature of historiographical debate within Chinese academic circles. It is hoped that the selections will prove of interest not only to students of the Nien, but also to others curious about the lines of scholarly controversy within the People's Republic of China.