"A rich and focused work that will appeal to anyone interested in the ways that the concept of the modern nation is shaped by the histories of science, soulstealing, society, and sentiment." New Bks In East Asian Stds "Tong Lam's rich and provocative [study] should be of interest to all scholars of China." -- Sigrid Schmalzer American Historical Review "Readers will find A Passion for Facts compellingly written, thoroughly researched, and thought-provoking." -- Maggie Clinton, Middlebury College The China Beat "[A] rich, persuasive study." -- Robert Culp Cross-Currents "Ingenious... Scholars of China as well as scholars outside that field will find much of interest in [Lam's] book." -- Q. Edward Wang Journal of Interdisciplinary History "[A] rich and sensitive exploration of social knowledge production in modern China... Lam's intensive and engaging book ... inspires readers to think of more questions and thus opens more topics for future research." -- Yu-ling Huang East Asian Science, Technology and Society "This is an important book. It is well researched, concisely written, and intellectually ambitious... Lam's excellent book deserves to be widely read." -- Fati Fan The Journal of Asian Studies "An engaging study... It is a major contribution to our understanding of the multifarious processes of nationbuilding." -- Jennifer E. Altehenger The China Quarterly