本书上部《清代行政管理》用大量翔实的史料对清政府的行政管理制度进行了概述，客观、真实地展示了清政府庞大而复杂的行政管理制度，也揭示了清政府行政管理制度的僵化及弊病。下部《中国对西方的反应》一方面介绍了清末西方列强入侵中国后，以魏源、冯友兰、林则徐、曾国藩、李鸿章等为首的清政府文人官员面对西方武力侵略及先进科技，从思想到措施两方面的演进历程，另一方面也简述了马克思主义思想在中国的萌芽和初步传播。

邓嗣禹，字持宇，湖南常宁黄洞乡人。1932年燕京大学毕业後，留学哈佛大学，与林语堂、陈寅恪等同为哈佛燕京学社成员，师从着名汉学家费正清先生。主要着述有《中国考试制度史》《清朝政治制度》《太平天国起义史编纂》《现代通俗汉语》《太平天国起义和西方政权》等。

CH'ING ADMINISTRATION
FOREWORD
AUTHORS' PREFACE
ON THE TRANSMISSION OF CH'ING DOCUMENTS
1.THE CH'ING POSTAL SYSTEM
2.THE ACTUAL SPEED OF TRANSMISSION IN THE PERIOD
1842-1860
ON THE TYPES AND USES OF CH'ING DOCUMENTS
1.INTRODUCTION
2.PROCEDURE IN THE GRAND SECRETARIAT (NEI KO)
3.PROCEDURE IN THE GRAND COUNCIL (CHüN CHI CH'U)
4.SELECT LIST OF PUBLISHED COLLECTIONS OF CH'ING65DOCUMENTS
5.CATALOGUE OF TYPES OF DOCUMENTS
ON THE CH'ING TRIBUTARY SYSTEM
1.THE TRADITIONAL ROLE OF TRIBUTE
2.TRIBUTARIES OF THE LATE MING
3.THE LI FAN YüAN (COURT OF COLONIAL AFFAIRS)
UNDER THE CH'ING
4.CH'ING TRIBUTARIES FROM THE SOUTH AND EAST-154GENERAL REGULATIONS
5.EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN THE CH'ING TRIBUTARY
SYSTEM
6.CH'ING TRIBUTE EMBASSIES AND FOREIGN TRADE
7.A SELECTED LIST OF CH'ING WORKS (1644-1860) ON200MARITIME RELATIONS
8.INDEX OF TRIBUTARIES LISTED IN SIX EDITIONS OF214THE COLLECTED STATUTES
APPENDIX1
APPENDIX2
CHINA'S RESPONSE TO THE WEST
PREFACE TO THE 1979 EDITION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
REIGNS OF THE CH'ING DYNASTY
1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER Ⅱ SOME ELEMENTS IN THE CHINESE
INTELLECTUAL TRADITION
2 RECOGNITION OF CHINA'S NEED TO KNOW THE WEST,
CHAPTER ⅢⅢ COMMISSIONER LIN'S PROGRAM FOR
MEETING BRITISH AGGRESSION
CHAPTER Ⅳ THE POLICY OF CONCILIATION
CHAPTER V THE EMERGENCE OF THE THEORY OF
SELF-STRENGTHENING
3 THE DESIRE FOR WESTERN TECHNOLOGY,1861-
CHAPTER Ⅵ TSENG KUO-FAN'S ATTITUDE TOWARD
WESTERNERS AND THEIR MACHINERY
CHAPTER MI LI HUNG-CHANG AND THE USE OF
WESTERN ARMS：CHAPTER MII INSTITUTIONS FOR LINGUISTIC AND
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES (THE T'UNG-WEN KUAN)
CHAPTER IX TSO TSUNG-T'ANG AND THE FOOCHOW
SHIPYARD
4 EFFORTS AT SELF-STRENGTHENING 1871-1896
CHAPTER X THE PROBLEM OE LEADERSHIP:：PERSONALITIES
AND INSTITUTIONS
CHAPTER XI TRAINING STUDENTS ABROAD
CHAPTER XI DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ABROAD
CHAPTER XIⅢI PROBLEMS OF THE INDUSTRIALIZATION
EFFORT
CHAPTER XV THE ATTEMPT AT A POSITIVE FOREIGN
POLICY
5 THE REFORM MOVEMENT THROUGH
CHAPTER XV PROMOTERS OF INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
CHAPTER XM K'ANG YU-WEI AND SOME OF HIS
ASSOCIATES
CHAPTER XM THE REFORM PROGRAM OF CHANG CHIH
TUNG
CHAPTER XMI THE FAILURE OF
CHAPTER XIX THE BOXER UPRISING
6 REFORM AND REVOLUTION 1901-1912
CHAPTER XX THE CONSERVATIVE REFORM MOVEMENT
CHAPTER XXI ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER XMI LIANG CH'I-CH'AO AND NATIONALISM
CHAPTER XXII SUN YAT-SEN'S EARLY REVOLUTIONARY
PROGRAM
7 IDEOLOGICAL FERMENT AND THE MAY FOURTH MOVEMENT
1912-1923
CHAPTER XXV THE SEARCH FOR NEW PRINCIPLES
CHAPTER XXV EARLY CONVERTS TO MARXISM……
CHAPTER XXM HU SHIH AND PRAGMATISM IN CHINA
CHAPTER XXM SUN YAT-SEN'S REORIENTATION OF THE
REVOLUTION
CHAPTER XXMII LIANG CH'I-CH'AO'S REVIEW OF CHINA'S
PROGRESS, 1873-1922
POSTFACE A FURTHER APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM
RESEARCH GUIDE FOR CHINA'S RESPONSE TO THE WEST
NOTES AND SOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY