HIST IMPERIAL CHINA TO 1800

Catalog description

China is frequently represented as a monolithic civilization, self-isolated and static in pre-modern times. This course is a descriptive and analytical survey of Chinese history from its mythological and historical origins in the 2nd millennium BCE to its confrontation with the West in the 19th century. It focuses on critical junctures in the evolution of China's civilization and the forces that shaped it including the development of political philosophies, state ideologies, and bureaucratic institutions; empire-building, invasion, and rebellion; economic vitality and technological advancement; and finally, China's rich and varied intellectual, social and cultural life.