Transpacific Reform and Revolution: The Chinese in North America, 1898–1918 by Zhongping Chen (review).

This study examines the institutional history of Chinese reform and revolutionary movements in North America from 1898 to 1918, focusing on the Chinese Empire Reform Association (CERA) led by Kang Youwei and the Chinese Nationalist League (CNL) associated with Sun Yat-sen. It highlights the transnational influence of these organizations on overseas Chinese communities worldwide and their dual efforts to address domestic issues such as racism, immigration reform, and Chinatown conditions alongside political change in China. The book details violent conflicts between reformist and revolutionary factions, including assassinations linked to these movements, and explores Canadian government surveillance and suppression of Chinese radicals during this period. While providing a comprehensive institutional account, the work notes the need for further social history research on the organizers, participants, and broader community experiences, including the feminist activism of the Chinese Empire Ladies Reform Association.