我不治史学,但身历八十余年来不断的内乱外侮,自然而然地关切国家,有强烈的国家民族观念。1983年冬,我任“中研院”职,在与近代史研究所同仁会谈中,提及希望同仁中有考虑从事一部叙述客观、分析深入地《中国近代史》的编著的。坊间固不乏此类著作,但似多详于鸦片战争至民国初年 I am not a historian, but I am constantly concerned about the country and have a strong national concept of nationhood. In the winter of 1983, when I was a “member of the Academia Sinica”, I mentioned in my talks with my colleagues at the Institute of Modern History that I hope my colleagues will consider engaging in an editorial that describes objectively and in-depth “modern Chinese history.” There is no shortage of such works, but it seems more detailed in the Opium War to the early Republican China