History in China and Britain during the Nineteenth Century

This chapter analyzes, in two distinct sections, the intellectual currents that affected British and Chinese historiography during the nineteenth century. In the case of Britain, it focuses on the development of the ‘Whig interpretation of History’ by Macaulay and its narrative foundations. The second section covers the rise of the ‘evidential’ school in China, the roots of the relationship between imperial power and literati endeavors, and the rise of a consciousness of anachronism in classical scholarship. The purpose of the chapter is to provide a background for the reader to realize the changes that these two systems went through after their contact with the nationalist worldview.