中国历史 StarTalk -- 2011

1. 中国历史StarTalk -- 2011 女士们，先生们 大 家 早 上 好！ 欢迎光临

2. 中国历史ChineseHistory汉语文化节StarTalk 2011 女 士 们， 先 生 们 Ladies and Gentlemen 大 家 早 上 好 Good morning Everyone! 欢 迎 光 临 Welcome

3. 中国历史StarTalk -- 2011 A Perspective: What is Chinese History? David Lux, Dean, College of A&S The central problems/issues driving Chinese history Timeline for Chinese history Key concepts and turning points in Chinese history China for “Foreign Devils” How “big” is China?

4. 中国历史 An historiographic and personal note: “Thus did Europeans use military aggression to blow a hole in the wall of Chinese seclusion.” A History of World Civilization, p. 966(Houghton Mifflin, 1992)

5. 林则徐 Lin Zexu Memorial, Opium War Museum -- Humen Town, Dongguan

6. 中国历史 The historiographic and personal note continued: “The Asian World, 500 – 1500 CE was a place of great empires . . . . Asian empires tended to promote linkages and connections to other kingdoms .” Stewart Gordon, When Asia was the World, pp. 177-78 ( Da Capo Press, 2008)

7. What’s special about Chinese history?Why should we care? • China – Longest “unbroken” history among world civilizations (at least 5,000 years) • The “History” for at least 1 in every 5 people (20%) in the World today (USA = 4.5%) • China likely to emergere-emergewith the world’s largest economy before 2025 (China owned the world’s largest economy during 18 of the past 20 centuries (until the 1870s ) )

8. Question: What drives Chinese history? Answer:GeographyClimate Culture

9. China’s Reality:-- rich in natural endowments-- many potential threats-- few easy paths to exploitation Endowments • Two major river systems – the Yellow (黄河 ) in the north and the Yangtze (长江 ) in the south • Truly among the world’s best “cradles” for agriculture and civilization • North – easy to exploit • 750 CE - 75% of population • South – extraordinary fertility possible with intensive agriculture • 1250 CE– 75% of population

10. China’s Reality:-- rich in natural endowments-- many potential threats-- few easy paths to exploitation Limitations and Threats • Very strong east - west orientation to the rivers • Flooding extraordinarily destructive in both river valleys • Open to raids and incursions along the entire northern and western frontiers

11. China’s Realities:-- Limitations and Threats –Agriculture China’s agricultural realities: • Very little of China’s land mass ( ~ 13%) can actually be farmed . http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3912(Per capita: 1/8 USA; ½ India) • China is feeding 20% of the world population using less than 10% of the world’s useful agricultural land • Productivity possible only with with intensive agriculture (-- flood control, irrigation, and fertilizers) • The north and south support very different staple crops

12. China’s Realities:--central problems/issues --Agriculture China’s historic responses: • Highly organized flood control and irrigation projects • Emphasis on intensive agriculture systems • Emphasis on crops for human consumption (much less on feed for animals) • Avoidance of land-extensive agriculture (e.g., not much cattle ranching) • Emergence of two distinctly different (north/south) agricultural systems focused on commodity crops • Strong peri-urban agriculture for high-value foodstuffs > Very distinctive regional cuisine

13. China’s Realities:--central problems/issuesAgriculture, politics, and culture China’s realities: • Historically -- prosperity has made China a very tempting target for invaders • On its own, the south can support a much larger population than the north • Historically, China’s north has carried the heavier load for defending all of China • As a “state system” China has proven far stronger with the north and south linked into an “Empire” – something not at all typical in the broader history of the world

14. China’s Realities:--central problems/issuesAgriculture, politics, and culture China’s historic responses: • Enduring focus on agriculture as China’s economic foundation (currently 35% of China’s workforce employed in agriculture (70% as recently as 1980))http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=348&catid=9&subcatid=63 • Strongly centralized taxation, political administration, and defense • Powerful local control over economic activity, public works, and social organization • Long history of tension between central authorities and local officials • Strong cultural traditions focused on maintaining personal and local interests against the interests of the central state

15. Power: Local vs. Central I went straight to his office. He was a typical Chinese police officer . . . . “In the countryside,” he said, “the heavens are high and the emperor is far away.”

16. China’s Realities:-- where can we actually see results of the interactions between Chinese geography (agriculture), politics, and culture? Massive Projects: The Great Wall -- 长城 • Protection of the northern frontier from the nomadic tribes of the Asian plains • Actually, many walls built from the 5th century BCE to the 17th century C.E. • The wall we see today was built during the Ming Dynasty -- between 1368 and 1644 • The Ming wall extended more than 4,000 miles and required 1,000,000 soldiers for the garrison • Somewhere between 2 and 3 million workers died building the Ming wall

17. China’s Realities:-- The Great Wall -- 长城Protection for the Yellow River and Beijing

18. China’s Realities:-- The Great Wall -- 长城

19. 长安 Chang’an (or Xi’an)and中国Why is China the Middle Kingdom? Capital for thirteen dynasties 1121 BCE – 907 CE Over 2,000 years • cf. Beijing750 years

20. 长安 and中国Why is China the Middle Kingdom?

21. 长安 and中国Why is China the Middle Kingdom?

22. China’s Realities:-- The Grand Canal 大运河 Connecting the south and the north • Hangzhou to Beijing • First sections built in the 5th century BCE • Connected the Yellow River and the Yangtze under the Sui Dynasty, 581 – 618 • Pound locks installed in the Song (10th century) • Completely rebuilt and modernized under the Ming Dynasty -- between 1411 and 1415 • Ming: 165,000 workers completed the renovations and extended the canal to a length of 1114 miles

23. 长安 and中国Why is China the Middle Kingdom? Capital for thirteen dynasties 1121 BCE – 907 CE Over 2,000 years • Cf. Beijing750 years

24. 长安 and中国Middle Kingdom and the World

25. China’s Dynasties Capitals in the 中国 (Chang’an) Region • 3 Sovereigns and 5 emperors • Xia -- c. 2100 - 1600 BCE • Shang – 1600 - 1046 BCE • Zhou – 1046 -221 BCE • Qin – 221 - 206 BCE • Early Han -- 206 BCE - 9 CE • Xin – 9 - 24 CE • Later Han – 25 - 220 CE • Three Kingdoms – 220 - 280 CE • Sui – 589 - 618 CE • Tang – 618 - 907 CE • Song – 969 - 1279 CE Beijing as Capital • Yuan –1279 - 1368 CE • Ming – 1368 - 1644 CE • Qing --1644 - 1912 CE

26. China’s Realities:Forbidden City -- Beijing紫禁城 • Beijing established as the Ming capital in 1403 • New imperial palace built on the site of the earlier Yuan palace • Construction began in 1406 – 15 years, 1 million workers • 980 buildings; 8707 rooms; 177 acres

27. China’s Realities:Intensive Agriculture • Irrigation • Flood Control • Terraces • Heavy use of fertilizer • Peri-urban agriculture

28. China’s Realities:Highway Transportation http://www.china-tour.cn/China-Maps/

29. China’s Realities:Rail Transportation http://www.china-tour.cn/China-Maps/

30. China’s Realities:Intensive AgricultureDujiangYan都江堰 Min River, Sichuan Province • Irrigation and Flood Control • Begun in 256 BCE, 20 years to complete • Irrigation for 1.3 million acres of crops

31. China’s Realities:Intensive AgricultureDujiangYan都江堰

32. China’s Realities:Pre-Han Hydraulic EngineeringZhengguo CanalIrrigation north of Xi’an郑国渠Lingqu Canal灵渠 Connecting the Yangtze with the Pearl, late 3rd BCE, 22 miles

33. China’s Realities:Intensive AgricultureTerracing Guanxi Province Yunnan Province Guanxi Province

34. China’s Realities:Think about it: Recent Projects Beijing National Stadium Design by Ai Weiwei Three Gorges Dam, Hubei Province

35. Quick Timeline for Chinese History Five Primary periods: • Paleolithic and Neolithic in China • Homo erectus and fire use 1.2 million years ago • pottery 20,000 years ago • Agriculture in the Yellow River Valley c. 7,000 BCE, metal working, arts, and religious materials • Historical China, 1600 BCE – Shang Dynasty • Imperial China, 221 BCE – Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties • Modern China: • 1839 – First Opium War • 1912 – Republic of China • 1949 – People’s Republic of China • Post-Colonial China, 1950 - 2011

36. 天命 -- Mandate of Heaven – Key Concept for Chinese Culture and Civilization A very particular kind of cyclical history – The right to rule is agift of heaven – Revocable! • First use: Zhou Dynasty, 1122 – 256 BCE • Effective rule validates the ruler • Rulers must provide just rule and reasonable prosperity • Revocable: Natural disasters, invasion, famine, insurrection may justify rebellion and the emergence of a new dynasty http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36610547/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/ http://uk.reuters.com/article/2008/05/14/uk-quake-premier-idUKPEK20190120080514 http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=2158fc1c-c83b-44b1-a6d6-b1e4505e0e2e

37. China’s Dynasties • 3 Sovereigns and 5 emperors • Xia -- c. 2100 - 1600 BCE • Shang – 1600 - 1046 BCE • Zhou – 1046 -221 BCE • Qin – 221 - 206 BCE • Early Han -- 206 BCE - 9 CE • Xin – 9 - 24 CE • Later Han – 25 - 220 CE • Three Kingdoms – 220 - 280 CE • Sui – 589 - 618 CE • Tang – 618 - 907 CE • Song – 969 - 1279 CE • Yuan –1279 - 1368 CE • Ming – 1368 - 1644 CE • Qing --1644 - 1912 CE

38. Some key Events in the Development of Chinese Culture and Civilization • 3000 BCE – Silk fabrics • 2600 BCE – Tea cultivation? • ca. 1600 - 1300 BCE – Oracle bones, Chinese writing system firmly established • 1122 BCE – “Mandate of Heaven” • 6th – 4th centuries BCE – Chinese philosophy • Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, and Legalism • 221 BCE – Qin Dynasty (秦始皇 -- Qin Shi Huang) • Centralized, authoritarian empire, standardized coinage, writing, Legalism, extensive (and expensive) road network • Terracotta warriors and the “first” Great Wall • Repression of Confucianism • “National” transportation network

39. Some key Events in the Development of Chinese Culture and Civilization • 206 - 221 CE – Han Dynasty • Re-establishment of Confucianism, introduction of Buddhism to China, opening of the Silk Road • 220 – 280 CE – Three Kingdoms • Bloody. Technological development. Emergence of clearly defined regional market systems and transportation infrastructure. • 581 - 618 CE – Sui Dynasty • Completion of the Grand Canal, reconstruction of the Great Wall

40. Some key Events in the Development of Chinese Culture and Civilization • 618 - 907 – Tang Dynasty • High culture: Poetry and tea culture, westward expansion along the silk road • 920 – 1279 – Song Dynasty • Paper money, gunpowder, compass, standing navy, emergence of a bureaucratic elite • 1271 - 1368 – Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty • Capital established in Beijing • 1368 -1644 – Ming Dynasty • Re-establishment of Han rule • Major agricultural revolution based on the introduction of Champa rice, planting of more than 1 billion trees between 1368 and 1398 • Seven voyages of Zeng He 郑和 • Reconstruction of the Great Wall, standing army of 1 million • First contacts with ocean-borne Europeans

41. Some key Events in the Development of Chinese Culture and Civilization • 1644 - 1911 – Qing Dynasty (Manchu) • Second non-Han dynasty, very concerned to maintain the Mandate of Heaven • Later Qing: Ruthless suppression of dissent; arrogant dismissal of Europeans and the significance of trans-oceanic European contacts • The Opium Wars, 1839-1842 and 1856-1860 • The British deal: Opium for tea, silk, and porcelain • Lin Zexu ( 林则徐 ) and the first Opium War. Local governor dismissed for enforcing Chinese law. • Treaties of Nanking and Tianjin – the Unequal Treaties • Hong Kong to Britain, treaty ports, extraterritoriality, reparations, missionaries, gunboats • Most Chinese take the Opium Wars – rather than the fall of the Qing -- as the beginning of modern Chinese history

42. Some key Events in the Development of Chinese Culture and Civilization • The Opium Wars and the Unequal Treaties (1839 – 1842 and 1856 -1860)– The Chinese view: • Qing (Manchu foreigners) betrayed Chinese (Han) patriots • The treaties of Nanking and Tianjin opened the door to a century of colonial exploitation and cowardly cooperation with foreign exploitation. Colonial oppression only ended in 1949/50 with the Communist “liberation” (Mao Zedong) in the victory over the Nationalists (Chiang Kai-Shek). Liberation Day – October 1 • Taiping Civil War (1850 – 1864), the bloodiest civil war in history, between 20 and 30 million dead. (France and England sent troops to help suppress the Taiping rebels.) • 1900 – Boxer Rebellion, anti-foreign uprising • 1911 – End of the Qing Dynasty with the abdication of the “Last Emperor.”

43. Some key Events in the Development of Chinese Culture • 1912 – Establishment of the Republic of China under the leadership of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (d. 1925) and the Kuomintang Party • 1927 – Communist Party launched Chinese Civil war to unseat the Kuomintang • 1949 – Kuomintang faction retreated to Taiwan following the victory of the Communists in the Chinese Civil War, 1927-50 • 1958-1960 – “The Great Leap Forward” • Radical social and economic reforms fail, leading to widespread famine and the deaths of millions • 1966 – Mao Zedong launched the “Cultural Revolution” to rid China of corrupting influences of the “liberal bourgeoisie” • 1976 – Death of Mao Zedong and the arrest of the “Gang of Four”

44. Some key Events in the Development of Chinese Culture • 1982 – Constitutional reforms promote “market socialism” • 1989 – Student protests in Tiananmen Square lead to brutal repression of calls for greater freedom and democracy • 1997 – China regains sovereignty over Hong Kong • 2008 – Beijing Olympics • 2008 – Completion of the Three Gorges Dam • 2010 – Shanghai Expo • 2011 – April 3, artist Ai Weiwei arrested in the aftershocks of the Jasmine Revolutions. Released June 23. • http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/apr/03/ai-weiwei-detained-chinese-police • http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/world/asia/24china.html • http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ai-weiwei-still-under-investigation-chinese-government-says/2011/06/23/AGjwRLhH_story.html

45. What “Foreign Devil’s” Might Want to Know about Chinese Culture • 3rd Session of the World Confucian Conference Richard Todd, The Thing Itself QuFu: Home of Confucius Blog: http://www.bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/Divisions/Presidents/US-China%20Institute/Academics/China%20Blog

46. What Do the Chinese Say? • Chinese history is deep • At least 5,000 years of unbroken civilization • At least 3,500 years of very strong written documentation • Loose dividing lines mark the boundaries the written history, the legends, and the myths

47. What Do the Chinese Say? • Chinese history and culture exist as two sides of the same surface Rob Gifford, China Road, Chapter 20: “The Great Wall of the Mind”

48. What Do the Chinese Say? • The Chinese are masters of performance, presentation, and illusion.  They can make you see anything they want you to see. • Face Changinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3jRiISTO0 • Chinese J-10 and Top Gun Also – China’s newest museum http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/world/asia/04museum.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper

49. The Importance of Face面子 • What does face provide • Markers of social and economic status • Marker for prestige, respectability, dignity, honor • Conflict resolution • Social regulator 面子

50. Face? 碰磁 (Pengci) • Officially: 450,000 automobile accidents annually in China • 100,000 deaths (official) • Un-official estimate: 250,000 killed annually (WHO) • Pengci: intentional “accident” with a demand for immediate damages http://beijing.uwwy.com/Beijing-News/104.html • Officially: 450,000 automobile accidents annually in China • 100,000 deaths (official) • Un-official estimate: 250,000 killed annually (WHO) • Pengci: intentional “accident” with a demand for immediate damages http://beijing.uwwy.com/Beijing-News/104.html