China and the West to 1600 (eBook)

Steven Wallech is the senior Professor of World History at Long Beach City College. He developed the world history program there, and integrated the world history curriculum with community colleges and universities throughout California. He is the author of World History: A Concise Thematic Analysis, Volumes One and Two (Wiley, 2012). He earned a Ph.D. in History from Claremont Graduate University and has been teaching at the college/university level for over 30 years.

Acknowledgements ix

Preface xi

Introduction 1

Maps 4

Timeline 7

1 The Paradox of Agriculture and its Impact on China and Western Civilization 8

The Oldest Paradox 8

Chinese Agriculture 13

The First Chinese Dynasties 19

Roman Agriculture 30

Italian Agriculture 31

Egypt 37

The Levant and Mesopotamia 41

Greece 43

Overview of the Roman Economy 46

Notes 49

2 Ancient Philosophy: Chinese versus Western 52

The Chinese Quest for Stability 54

Implementing Legalism: Li Si and the Qin Dynasty 65

The Han Dynasty 67

The Greek Worldview: Part One--the Problem 69

The Greek Worldview: Part Two--the Quest for a Solution 71

The Roman Worldview 79

The Kosmopolite 83

Christianity 84

Notes 92

3 The Nomads 96

Two Incompatible Lifestyles: Nomads versus Farmers 96

The Persistent Nomadic Threat, Cannon, and China's Three Main Issues 99

The Silk Road: Revelation of a Deadly Paradox of Culture 109

Loyalty, the State, and Paradise Lost 112

An Era of Chaos 116

The Fall of Rome 118

Chinese Potential for Reunification versus Western Fragmentation 120

Notes 123

4 Contrasting Medieval China and Europe 126

Unexpected Consequences 126

Revisiting the Paradox of Agriculture 128

The Sui Dynasty (581-618) 130

The Tang Dynasty (618-906) and the Rejuvenation of China 133

The Song (960-1279): The Golden Age Continues 140

A Nomadic Interlude 145

Evolution of Feudalism during the Fall of Rome 149

Medieval Agriculture: The Rise of Feudalism 152

The Late Middle Ages (1300-1500) 159

Contrasting Systems: A Unified China versus a Fragmented Europe 164

Notes 165

5 China and Medieval Europe: Cultural Orthodoxy and Creativity 169

The Economy, Administration, and Formation of a Chinese Orthodoxy 172

Foundations of a Medieval European Orthodoxy 180

A Revival of Learning: The Medieval Orthodoxy 189

Conclusions 203

Notes 204

6 The Nomad Apogee of Power 207

The Paradox of Culture Springs a Trap 207

Mongol Conquest and Rule 210

The Yuan Dynasty: A Century of Uneven Rule 221

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) 223

The Qing: The Second Nomadic Regime to Rule China (1644-1911) 231

Notes 244

7 Modernization 251

Germanic Europe during the Early Middle Ages 254

China does not Modernize: The Pitfalls of Tradition 286

Conclusion 296

Notes 297

Select Bibliography 301

Index 309