Description
Book SynopsisDiscover the complexity of China's past with this multi-faceted portrayal of the storied nation from a leading expert in the field
The newly revised Second Edition of A History of China delivers a comprehensive treatment of the political, economic, social, and cultural history of China that covers all major events and trends that have shaped the country over the centuries. The book is written in a clear and uncomplicated style, sure to be of assistance to undergraduate students with little prior background knowledge in the subject matter.
The text examines Chinese history through a global lens to better understand how foreign influences affected domestic policies and practices. It includes discussions of the roles played by non-Chinese ethnic groups in China, like the Tibetans and Uyghurs, and the Mongol and Manchu rulers who held power in China for several centuries.
The distinguished author takes pains to incorporate the perspectives and narrativ
Table of Contents
Series Editor’s Preface x
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
List of Illustrations xix
List of Maps xxii
A Note on Romanization xxiii
Part I China Among “Barbarians” 1
1 Early History, to 1027 BCE 3
Land and Settlement 3
Early Mankind 5
Agricultural Revolution in the Neolithic Era 6
Xia: The First Dynasty? 11
The Shang and the Origins of Chinese Civilization 15
Oracle Bones 17
Ritual Objects as Historical Sources 18
Shang Society 20
Note 23
Further Reading 23
2 Classical China, 1027–256 BCE 24
“Feudalism”? 24
Changes in Social Structure 29
Political Instability in the Eastern Zhou 30
Transformations in the Economy 33
Hundred Schools of Thought 35
Daoism 36
Popular Religions 39
Confucianism 40
Mohism 46
Legalism 48
Book of Odes and Book of Documents 51
Secularization of Arts 53
Note 55
Further Reading 55
3 The First Chinese Empires, 221 BCE–220 CE 56
Development of the Qin State 58
Qin Achievements 60
Failures of the Qin 63
Han and New Institutions 66
Han Foreign Relations 70
Emperor Wu’s Domestic Policies and Their Ramifications 75
Wang Mang: Reformer or Usurper? 77
Restoration of a Weaker Han Dynasty 78
Spiritual and Philosophical Developments in the Han 81
Han Literature and Art 85
Further Reading 92
4 Chaos and Religious and Political Responses, 220–581 93
Three Kingdoms 93
Rise of South China 95
Foreigners and North China 97
Northern Wei 100
Spiritual Developments, Post-Han 104
Buddhism Enters China 105
Literature, Science, and the Arts in a Period of Division 111
Note 115
Further Reading 116
Part II China Among Equals 117
5 Restoration of Empire under Sui and Tang, 581–907 119
Sui: First Step in Restoration 121
Disastrous Foreign Campaigns 126
Origins of the Tang 127
Taizong: The Greatest Tang Emperor 128
Tang Expansionism 131
Irregular Successions and the Empress Wu 133
Tang Cosmopolitanism 136
Arrival of Foreign Religions 138
Glorious Tang Arts 144
Decline of the Tang 146
Tang Faces Rebellions 150
Uyghur Empire and Tang 151
Tang’s Continuing Decline 152
Suppression of Buddhism 155
Final Collapse 156
Efflorescence of Tang Culture 159
Notes 164
Further Reading 164
6 Post-Tang Society and the Glorious Song, 907–1279 165
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 165
Song: A Lesser Empire 169
A New Song Elite 171
Neo-Confucianism: A New Philosophy 173
Attempts at Reform 174
Women and the Song 180
The Khitans and the Liao Dynasty 181
Expansion of Khitan Territory 183
Preservation of Khitan Identity 183
Fall of the Liao 185
Xia and Jin: Two Foreign Dynasties 186
Song Arts 188
Southern Song Economic and Cultural Sophistication and Political Instability 192
Note 196
Further Reading 197
Part III China and The Mongol World 199
7 Mongol Rule in China, 1234–1368 201
Rise of Chinggis Khan 203
Legacy of Chinggis Khan 205
Expansion and Early Rule of Empire 205
Sorghaghtani Beki, Möngke, and Khubilai 206
Unification of China 208
Khubilai’s Policies 208
Multiethnic and Multireligious China 210
Khubilai and Chinese Culture 211
Decline of the Yuan 216
Legacy of the Mongols 218
Note 220
Further Reading 221
8 Ming: Isolationism and Involvement in the World, 1368–1644 222
A More Powerful State 225
Opening to the Outside World 228
A Costly Failure 233
Conspicuous Consumption 233
Arts in the Ming 235
Neo-Confucianism: School of the Mind 239
A Few Unorthodox Thinkers 242
Ming Literature 242
Buddhism: New Developments 246
Social Development and Material Culture 247
Violence in the Sixteenth Century 249
Fall of the Ming Dynasty 251
Further Reading 255
Part IV China In Global History 257
9 Early Qing: A Manchu Dynasty, 1644–1860 259
Preserving Manchu Identity 262
Kangxi and the Height of the Qing 263
Western Arrival 264
Jesuits in China 266
Expansion of China 268
Qing Cultural Developments 271
Qing Faces Economic Problems 274
Stirrings of Discontent 277
The Western Challenge 278
Opium Wars 280
Explanations for the Decline of the Qing 285
Further Reading 286
10 Late Qing, 1860–1911 287
Nian and Other Minor Rebellions 288
Taiping Rebellion 289
Other Rebellions 293
Foreign Threats 296
Differing Court Responses to Challenges 298
Antiforeign Acts and Foreign Reactions 302
Losses in Southwest China 304
Japan Emerges 305
Sino–Japanese Conflict 306
Scramble for Concessions and US Response 308
China Humiliated and the Reformers 309
Boxer Movement 311
Court Reforms 313
Fall of the Qing 315
Note 316
Further Reading 316
11 The Republican Period, 1911–1949 317
The 1911 Revolution and Its Aftermath 319
Warlords in Power 321
The May Fourth Movement and Intellectuals in the Post-First World War Period 323
Communist Party 326
Rise of Chiang Kai-shek 330
Guomindang Dominance 333
Communist Party Revival 337
Long March and Aftermath 339
The Sino–Japanese War 341
The Pacific War, the Communists, and the Guomindang 343
Civil War in China 347
Further Reading 349
12 The Communist Era in China, 1949 Onwards 350
Early Pacification of Border Areas 352
Early Foreign Relations 355
Recovery from Wars 357
Cracks in the Communist World 360
Great Leap Forward 362
Return to Pragmatism 365
An Isolated China 366
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution 368
China Reopens Its Doors 371
Dramatic Changes and Modernization 374
Tiananmen Disturbance of 1989 and Its Aftermath 378
The Present Status of China 385
Further Reading 395
Index 397
