Nineteenth-century China was a paradoxical place. On the one hand, significant new voices were determined to undertake reforms that would enable the Qing empire to cope with the powerful West; on the other, the literate public was for the most part equally intent on preserving the old ways. Bringing the World Home sheds new light on China's vibrant cultural life between 1895 and 1919 - a crucial period that marks a watershed between the conservative...