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From Yao to Mao: A Thematic Overview of Chinese History
Prof. Shana J. BrownDepartment of HistoryUniversity of Hawaii
Tactics in studying Chinese history…• Appreciating the extraordinary
degree of geographical, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity
• Countering the myth of “eternal China” by defining historical units and themes that acknowledge growth, change, influences by outside world
• Looking for historical themes that enrich our understanding of contemporary problems, without reducing them to stereotypes
True or false?
• China has always been ruled by ethnic Han Chinese
• The geographical boundaries of China have remained constant for thousands of years
• The cultural makeup of China shows remarkable degrees of consistency
Yangshao (5000-3000 BC)Pit houses; painted pottery; domesticated animals; sericulture?
Longshan (3000 – 2000 BC)Black pottery; divination on bones; rammed-earth cities; rice cultivation
Hongshan (3700-2250 BC)Jade artifacts; temple and
city builders
Liangshu (3400 – 2250 BC)Jade artifacts; slab tombs; silk and lacquer production
Historiographical issues…
• What is the difference between a culture and a dynasty?
• Why and how are these cultures and / or dynasties defined as Chinese?
“Early Civilization in China: Reflections on How it Became Chinese”• Hierarchical social distinctions• Massive mobilization of labor• Emphasis on the group, rather than
the individual• Emphasis on ritual in all dimensions
of life• Formal boundaries and models• Ethic of service, obligation, and
emulation• Little sense of tragedy or irony
Chinese myths of origins: the sage kings• More significant than
myths focusing on semi-human or divine figures
• Yao: 95-year reign• Succeeded by son-in-
law Shun, who ruled for 40 years & established laws and penalties
• Yu controlled floods and thus improved agriculture; founded first dynasty, the Xia
Zhou culture & society
• Zhou invade Shang • Establish new dynasty, claim
mandate of heaven allows them to rule
• Duke of Zhou establishes proto-Confucian ethical principals
Zhou feudalism and decline
• Feudal: central king & subservient fiefdoms
• Central state loses authority as kings become corrupt
• Last Zhou king is defeated by vassal, allied with “barbarian” forces
• Fiefdoms devolve into independent states
Warring States (481-221 BC)
• Age of Confucius and the philosophers
• How to create effective political & social structures to attract population, rule effectively
• Government based on moral persuasion and elite cooperation, not force
Empire unified under Qin (221-206 BC)
• Qin Shi Huang built the wall and burned the books; unified the writing system
• Rise of Legalism as a political philosophy
• Is tyranny the price of efficient government?