His book concentrates on the period of time from the rise of the Manchus in the first decades of the seventeenth century to the return of the Torghuts in the last half of the eighteenth century, an event with which, he says, “the steppe ended, and a great chapter in world history closed.” This comment points to a highly commendable feature of this sweeping and meticulous study: Perdue places the Qing march into central Asia squarely in the contexts both of Chinese and of world history.
His book focuses on the era from the Manchus' ascendancy in the early 17th century to the Torghuts' return in the late 18th century, an occurrence that marks “the steppe's end and a significant chapter of world history’s close.” This remark highlights a commendable aspect of this broad and thorough investigation: Perdue situates the Qing advance into Central Asia within both Chinese and global historical contexts.