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Chapter 1. The Yellow river. 1. A Brief History of China. 1.1 The origins of the nation 1.2 Rise and fall of the empire 1.3 China in the new millennium . Keywords :. Chinese nation, Chinese civilization, dynasty, Confucius, feudalism, revolution, collectivism.
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Chapter 1 The Yellow river Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
1. A Brief History of China 1.1 The origins of the nation 1.2 Rise and fall of the empire 1.3 China in the new millennium Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Keywords: • Chinese nation, • Chinese civilization, • dynasty, • Confucius, • feudalism, • revolution, • collectivism Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
1.1 The origins of the nation 1.1.1 Cradle of the nation 1.1.2 Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
King Wu (c 1066 BC):“Here [Luoyi, a place in central China] is the center under heaven, from which all other states bear same distance when they come to pay tributes.”(ci tianxia zhi zhong, sifang rugong daoli jun) Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Hezun: Early stories about China: Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
1.2 Rise and fall of the empire 1.2.1 Qin, Han and Jin dynasties 1.2.2 Sui, Tang and Song dynasties 1.2.3 Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties 1.2.4 Fall of the empire Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Events in the early 20th century: • 1912, China‘s final dynasty, the Qing, was replaced by the Republic of China (ROC); • 1921, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded; • 1931, Japan invaded the Northeast China (Manchuria); • 1937, Japan invaded China and the War of Resistance Against Japan began; • 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally and, thereafter, the Civil War between the Nationalists and the Communists broke out; • 1949, the People‘s Republic of China (PRC) was founded, followed by the large-scale land reform and socialist transformation. Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
1.3 China in the new millennium 1.3.1 Socialism in transition 1.3.2 Capitalism, Chinese style? Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Figure 1.1 A dynamic view of the Chinese economy, AD 1500-2000 Source: Created by the author based on Maddison (2001). Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Confucius said: • Since the age of 15, I have devoted myself to learning; • since 30, I have been well established; • since 40, I have understood many things and have no longer been confused; • since 50, I have known my heaven-sent duty; • since 60, I have been able to distinguish right and wrong in other people‘s words; and • since 70, I have been able to do what I intended freely without breaking the rules. Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Case study 1 Understanding Chinese culture Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Table 1.1 Confucianism versus Taoism: some basic facts (a) Laozi spent most of his career first at Luoyi (capital of the Eastern Zhou dynasty) and later at the mountain areas in western China. Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Chapter conclusion: Starting with a brief history of China (called “ zhongguo” in Chinese, meaning “center under heaven”), this chapter is focused on various factors that could have shaped China’s existing political, economic and cultural characteristics. It investigates the causes and consequences of China’s periodic changes of feudal dynasties as well as their political, economic and cultural implications to the Chinese economy in the new millennium. Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo
Suggested reading Analects of Confucius (lunyu) by Confucius (an English text is available at: http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/lange.htm). Bolton, P., and G. Roland (1997). “The Breakup of Nations: A Political Economy Analysis,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 112, pp. 1057-89. Friedman, D. (1977). “A Theory of the Size and Shape of Nations,” Journal of Political Economy, Volume 85(1), pp. 59-77. Shiji (records of the grand historian) by Sima Qian (an English introductory text is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Records_of_the_Grand_Historian). Tao Te Ching (or daodejing) by Lao Tzu (or Laozi) (an English text is available at: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html). Prepared with assistance by Luc Guo