{"product_id":"china-and-the-west-to-1600-9781118880074","title":"China and the West to 1600","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA comparative history of Chinese and Western Civilization from the dawn of agriculture to the dawn of modernity in Europe, \u003ci\u003eChina and the West to 1600\u003c\/i\u003e explores the factors that led to the divergent evolution of two major cultures of the ancient world, and considers how the subsequent developments saw one culture cling to tradition even as the other failed to do so, inadvertently setting the stage for the birth of the Modern Era.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e   \u003cli\u003eAn accessible  and inventive comparative history, suitable for all students at the college  level as well as general readers\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003eCompares the history  of Chinese civilization with Western civilization from the rise of agriculture  to the dawn of the modern period\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003eExplores the  ways in which Western failures in the Middle Ages after the Roman Empire's  collapse, and China's successes in the same period, laid the groundwork for  each culture's divergent path in the modern period\u003c\/li\u003e   \u003cli\u003eMakes meaningful  connections be\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgements ix\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePreface xi\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaps 4\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTimeline 7\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1 The Paradox of Agriculture and its Impact on China and Western Civilization 8\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Oldest Paradox 8\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChinese Agriculture 13\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe First Chinese Dynasties 19\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRoman Agriculture 30\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eItalian Agriculture 31\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEgypt 37\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Levant and Mesopotamia 41\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreece 43\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverview of the Roman Economy 46\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 49\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2 Ancient Philosophy: Chinese versus Western 52\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Chinese Quest for Stability 54\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImplementing Legalism: Li Si and the Qin Dynasty 65\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Han Dynasty 67\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Greek Worldview: Part One—the Problem 69\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Greek Worldview: Part Two—the Quest for a Solution 71\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Roman Worldview 79\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Kosmopolite 83\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChristianity 84\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 92\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3 The Nomads 96\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTwo Incompatible Lifestyles: Nomads versus Farmers 96\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Persistent Nomadic Threat, Cannon, and China’s Three Main Issues 99\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Silk Road: Revelation of a Deadly Paradox of Culture 109\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLoyalty, the State, and Paradise Lost 112\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn Era of Chaos 116\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Fall of Rome 118\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChinese Potential for Reunification versus Western Fragmentation 120\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 123\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4 Contrasting Medieval China and Europe 126\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnexpected Consequences 126\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRevisiting the Paradox of Agriculture 128\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Sui Dynasty (581–618) 130\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Tang Dynasty (618–906) and the Rejuvenation of China 133\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Song (960–1279): The Golden Age Continues 140\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Nomadic Interlude 145\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvolution of Feudalism during the Fall of Rome 149\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedieval Agriculture: The Rise of Feudalism 152\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Late Middle Ages (1300–1500) 159\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eContrasting Systems: A Unified China versus a Fragmented Europe 164\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 165\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e5 China and Medieval Europe: Cultural Orthodoxy and Creativity 169\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Economy, Administration, and Formation of a Chinese Orthodoxy 172\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFoundations of a Medieval European Orthodoxy 180\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Revival of Learning: The Medieval Orthodoxy 189\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusions 203\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 204\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6 The Nomad Apogee of Power 207\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Paradox of Culture Springs a Trap 207\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMongol Conquest and Rule 210\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Yuan Dynasty: A Century of Uneven Rule 221\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) 223\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Qing: The Second Nomadic Regime to Rule China (1644–1911) 231\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 244\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e7 Modernization 251\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGermanic Europe during the Early Middle Ages 254\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChina does not Modernize: The Pitfalls of Tradition 286\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 296\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 297\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelect Bibliography 301\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 309\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"John Wiley and Sons Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default 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