“Unearthing the Nation is more than a scientific history. Shen’s in-depth analysis reveals that national, political, and cultural loyalties had a key role in the development of Chinese geology, and she seamlessly integrates this into her narrative on the discoveries and evolution of the field. . . . [T]his is an important book: it presents a comprehensive history of Chinese geology while demonstrating the discipline’s unique pattern of development.”

Xu Xing | Nature

“If you want a nice, short, well-written book that explains the birth of a modern science in China and why it matters, this is a good choice.”

Alan Baumler, Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Frog in a Well

“A groundbreaking study, Unearthing the Nation examines the development of the field of modern geology in early twentieth-century China. It deftly shows how Chinese geologists explored new relationships between man and land, navigated the shifting terrain of early twentieth-century politics, and delved into the unexpected opportunities of wartime China when military exigencies opened up the hinterland for exploration. Like the physical land that China’s modern geographers encountered in their fieldwork, the book is a fascinating read and exposes readers to the ever-changing landscape of modern Chinese science, its relationship with global geography, and Republican era politics.”

Eugenia Lean, Columbia University

“Grace Yen Shen’s Unearthing the Nation is a rich, innovative, and finely crafted historical study of Chinese geology and society during the Republican period. It creatively combines political history, cultural analyses, and the history of science in tracing the development of the Chinese geoscientific community and related institutions, with special attention to the transnational dimensions of the enterprise. It will be recognized as a major contribution not only to the history of Chinese geology but also to modern Chinese history and the history of modern science in general.”

Zuoyue Wang, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

“A lucid and original account of geology that gainsays the long-standing view of science in China as passive and inert. Instead, Grace Yen Shen grants early Chinese geologists the intellectual acumen to grasp the implications of their work in scientific, political, and social terms. They not only forged a new field of geology but also created a new scientific community of geologists, which envisioned a new China below the earth that was worth saving.”

Benjamin A. Elman, author of A Cultural History of Modern Science in China

“In charting the evolution of geology and the geological community in China, Unearthing the Nation offers a portrait of modern China in miniature and a provocative interpretation of the interplay between science, nationalism, and modernity. The book is an engaging read—rich, nuanced, and elegantly written. It also bristles with insights and ideas. An excellent and long overdue study of the most important scientific discipline in early twentieth-century China.”

Fa-ti Fan, Binghamton University

"This book provides a context and narrative for the main players, journals, and associations for geology in Republican China. The research is copious and Shen has made a genuine contribution by linking key players with narrative facility."

Journal of East Asian Studies