jìn dài
the not-very-distant past
modern times, excluding recent decades
(in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919)
capitalist times (pre-1949)
jìn dài shǐ
modern history (for China, from the Opium Wars until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, i.e. mid-19th to early 20th century)