Contents
ListofIllustrationsxii
NameandDateConventionsUsedintheContextxxxvii
Introductionxxxix
Chapter1
AncientCivilizations:RuleandPolitics
(c.8500–256BCE)
THEORIGINSOFCIVILIZATION–AncientManinChina–TheEraofClanSocieties–TheDawnoftheChineseNation–ThreeBenevolentRulers:Yao,ShunandYu–THEEARLIESTDYNASTIESOFCHINA–RuleoftheXiaDynasty–TheRiseandFalloftheShangDynasty–TheFlourishingoftheWesternZhouDynasty–DeclineoftheWesternZhouDynasty–THESPRINGANDAUTUMNPERIOD–DeclineoftheRoyalFamily–DukeHuanofQiandDukeWenofJin–ThreeSuccessiveHegemonies–WuandYuePushforPower–THESEVENPOWERSOFTHEWARRINGSTATESPERIOD–SevenPowersLockedinRivalry–ReformMovementsintheSevenStates–AllianceandUnification
Chapter2
AnEmergingState:SocietyandCulture
OracleBonesinShangLife–TheBronzeAge–TheDevelopmentofAgriculture–Crafts–TheDujiangyanWeirs–TheRiseoftheCity–Literature:BookofSongsandElegiesoftheSouth–Music:BellsandDrums–Astronomy–Medicine
Chapter3
TheFoundationsofPhilosophyandSchoolsofThought
THECONTENTIONOFAHUNDREDSCHOOLSOFTHOUGHT–Confucius:TeacherforAllAges–TheLegacyandDevelopmentofConfucianism–Daoism:LetThingsRunTheirCourse–TheMohistSchool:EarthlyAscetics–Legalism:FavoredbyRulers–MilitaryStrategists:MastersoftheLawofWar–THECLASHOFSCHOOLSOFTHOUGHT
Chapter4
UnificationundertheQinEmpire
(221–206BCE)
RULEOFTHEQINEMPIRE–QinShiHuang’sUnificationoftheCountry–CentralizationoftheQinEmpire–AReignofTyranny–THEWONDERSOFTHEQINDYNASTY–TheGreatWall–QinShiHuangMausoleum–TerracottaWarriorsandHorses–THEFALLOFTHEQINDYNASTY–ThePeasantUprising–ConflictbetweentheStatesofChuandHan
Chapter5
TheRiseandFalloftheHanDynasty
(220BCE–280CE)
THERISEOFTHEHAN–RebuildingbytheEarlyHanDynasty–EmperorsWenandJing–EmperorWuofHan–DECLINEOFTHEWESTERNHANDYNASTY–CorruptionintheMidandLateWesternHan–TheBriefReignofWangMang–REVIVALOFTHEHANCOURT–TheFoundingoftheEasternHanDynasty–PowerStruggles:CourtWomenandEunuchs–TheFalloftheEasternHanDynasty–FOREIGNRELATIONSDURINGTHEHANDYNASTY–MarriageBringsPeaceBeyondtheGreatWall–ZhangQian’sJourneystotheWesternRegions–TheSilkRoad
Chapter6
Scientific,CulturalandPhilosophicalDevelopmentsundertheHan
SCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGYOFTHEHANDYNASTY–TheInventionofPaper–TraditionalChineseMedicine–AstronomyandMathematics–THESTATUSOFIDEASINTHEHANDYNASTY–TheRiseofDaoism–TheSpreadofBuddhisminChina–EvolutionoftheScholarlyClass–CULTUREOFTHEHANDYNASTY–FirstMajorHistoricalWorks–LiteratureandArt
Chapter7
DisturbanceandStability:FromtheThreeKingdomstoaHundredYearsofJinRule
(220–420CE)
THETHREEKINGDOMS–TheBattleofGuandu–TheBattleofRedCliffs–EmergenceoftheThreeKingdoms–WESTERNANDEASTERNJIN–BriefUnificationduringtheJinDynasty–RebellionoftheEightPrinces–TheHundred-YearRuleoftheEasternJin
Chapter8
ThePoliticsandCultureoftheSouthernandNorthernDynasties
(420–589)
THESOUTHERNDYNASTIES–ContentionoftheSixteenKingdoms–RuleoftheSong,Qi,Liang,andChen–THENORTHERNWEIDYNASTY–RapidRiseoftheNorthernWeiDynasty–TheReformsofEmperorXiaowen–CrumblingoftheNorthernWei–TheCrushingofBuddhism–CULTURALDEVELOPMENTSDURINGTHESIXDYNASTIES–LiteratureandArt–TheStudyofHistoryandGeography–TheNaturalSciences–NEWPHILOSOPHICALEXPLORATIONS–DarkLearningandtheSevenSagesoftheBambooGrove–TheFlourishingofBuddhism–TheDevelopmentofDaoism
Chapter9
TheSuiDynasty
(581–618)
TheFoundingoftheSuiDynasty–TheRuleofEmperorWen–TheFalloftheSuiDynasty–TheGrandCanal
Chapter10
TheGoldenEraoftheTangDynasty
THEFOUNDINGANDGOVERNMENTOFTHETANGDYNASTY–TheRiseoftheTangFamily–TheGoldenYearsofZhenguan–TheUsurpingEmpress–TheGoldenEraofKaiyuan–THETANGEMPIRE–LIFEINTHETANGWORLD–Agriculture–TradeandCommerce–KeyInventions:WoodblockPrintingandGunpowder–Medicine–Astronomy–TANGCULTUREANDCRAFTS–Poetry–Novels–Calligraphy–Painting–MusicandDance–Crafts
Chapter11
Decline,SeparationandTurbulence:
TheDeclineoftheTangandRuleoftheSong
THEDECLINEOFTHETANGDYNASTY–TheAnLushanRebellion–EffortstoRevivetheTangEmpire–TurbulenceandDecline–ASplinteredAge:FiveDynasties,TenKingdoms–TheRiseoftheKhitan–THENORTHERNANDSOUTHERNSONGDYNASTIES–TheFoundingoftheNorthernSongDynasty–ReformandStrifeintheMidtoLateNorthernSong–TheCollapseoftheSouthernSongDynasty
Chapter12
Co-existingRegimes:TheSong,Liao,Xia,andJin
ConfrontationbetweenSongandLiao–TheRiseandFalloftheWesternXiaDynasty–TheRiseoftheJinEmpire–ConfrontationbetweenSouthernSongandJin
Chapter13
TheEnrichingLegacyoftheTangandSongDynasties
AThrivingEconomy–Science,Technology,andCulture
Chapter14
TerritorialExpansionandCulturalFlowerings:
TheYuanDynasty
(1206–1368)
THEFOUNDINGOFTHEYUAN–TerritorialExpansionoftheMongolEmpire–UnificationWar–TheYuanSystemofGovernment–YUANCULTUREANDECONOMY–TheCapital,Dadu–EthnicIntegration–TheEconomy–LiteratureandArtofSongandYuan
Chapter15
CentralizedMonarchyoftheMingDynasty
(1368–1644)
THEFOUNDINGOFTHEMING–TheFalloftheYuanDynasty–TheAbsoluteMonarchyoftheMingDynasty–TurmoilwithintheMingCourt–THEMINGDYNASTYECONOMYANDFOREIGNPOLICY–ThrivingEconomyandAdministrationofItsLand–Ming’sForeignPolicy–China’sRelationshipwithItsNeighbors–MerchantGuildsandBanking
Chapter16
Piracy,WarandRebellion:theDeclineoftheMingandRiseoftheQing
TURBULENCEANDDECLINEOFTHEMING–MingCostalDefense–EarlyColonialAggression–TheTumuCrisis–RevivalEortsinLateMing–ThreeNotoriousAairsofCourt–EunuchAbuseofPowerandtheDonglinMovement–ENDOFTHEMINGDYNASTY–WaningMilitaryPower–Rebellionofthe“DashingKing”–TheDoomedSouthernMingCourt–TheRiseoftheJurchens–Nurhaci:KhanofHeaven’sMandate–HongTaijiFoundstheQingEmpire
Chapter17
TheQing:Feudalism’sFinalBow
(1644–1911)
CONSOLIDATIONOFTHEQINGEMPIRE–Anti-QingResistance–ZhengChenggong’sRecoveryofTaiwan–SuppressionoftheThreeFeudatoriesbytheKangxiEmperor–TheRecoveryofTaiwan–BorderDefenseagainstTsaristRussia–SuppressionoftheDzungarRebellionandTorghutIntegration–SuppressionoftheUyghurRebellionandWarsagainstForeignIntruders–TheDalaiLamaandPanchenLama–THEFINALFLOWERINGOFCHINESEFEUDALSOCIETY–TheGrowingStrengthoftheMonarchyundertheQingDynasty–ProsperityoftheKangxi,Yongzheng,andQianlongReigns–TheRulingCrisisoftheMidtoLateQingDynasty
Chapter18
Learning,PhilosophicalThoughtandCultureundertheMingandQing
TECHNOLOGYANDTHOUGHTS–TheReconstructionofBeijing–Science,Technology,andtheIntroductionofWesternLearning–Neo-Confucianism–ANewStageinConfucianism–LITERATUREANDARTINTHEMINGDYNASTY–VernacularFiction–Mass-MarketNovels–MingOpera–CalligraphyandPainting–QINGCULTURE–ClassicalGardens–GovernmentCulturalProjects–ADreamofRedMansions–TheRisingPopularityofNovels–BreakthroughsinCalligraphyandPainting–BeijingOpera
Chapter19
WarsandRebellion:TheOpiumWars,BoxerRebellionandForeignPowers
THEOPIUMWARS–ChinaandtheWestbeforetheFirstOpiumWar–TheDestructionofOpiuminHumen–TheFirstOpiumWar–TheSecondOpiumWar–EmpressDowagerCixi’sRisetoPower–TheTaipingRebellion–TheEndoftheTaipingHeavenlyKingdom–WARINTHELATEQINGDYNASTY–ZuoZongtang’sRecoveryofXinjiang–TheSino-FrenchWar–TheSino-JapaneseWar–TheBoxerRebellionandtheAlliedForces’InvasionofChina
Chapter20
WesternInfluences,ReformandDeathoftheQing
TheChallengeofWesternCulture–TheSelf-StrengtheningMovement–TheRiseofCapitalism–IdeasofReform–TheHundredDays’Reform–TheQingCourt’sDyingThroes–TheRiseoftheRepublic–Conclusion
Index448