The History of China Advisory Board
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THE HISTORY OF CHINA ADVISORY BOARD John T. Alexander Professor of History and Russian and European Studies, University of Kansas Robert A. Divine George W. Littlefield Professor in American History Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin John V. Lombardi Professor of History, University of Florida THE HISTORY OF CHINA Second Edition David Curtis Wright The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations Frank W. Thackeray and John E. Findling, Series Editors Copyright 2011 by David Curtis Wright All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wright, David Curtis, 1960– The history of China / David Curtis Wright. — 2nd ed. p. cm. — (Greenwood histories of the modern nations) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–313–37748–8 (hardcopy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–313–37749–5 (ebook) 1. China—History. I. Title. DS735.A2W74 2011 951—dc22 2011010866 ISBN 978–0–313–37748–8 EISBN 978–0–313–37749–5 1514131211 12345 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. Greenwood An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America To my son Timothy This page intentionally left blank Contents Series Foreword ix Preface to the Second Edition xiii Timeline of Historical Events xv 1 Geography, Government, Population, and Early History 1 2 Pre-Imperial China: ca. 1122–221 B.C. 17 3 Early Imperial China: 221 B.C.–A.D. 589 45 4 Middle and Late Imperial China: A.D. 589–ca. 1800 67 5 The Tumultuous Nineteenth Century: External Aggression and Internal Chaos 99 6 Revolution and Republic 117 7 The People’s Republic: From First Breath to Mao’s Death 145 8 Deng’s China 181 viii Contents 9 China in the 1990s 199 10 The Twenty-First Century: Dealing with a Pushy China 209 11 A Prosperous and Confused Island: Taiwan since 1945 245 Notable People in the History of China 281 Chinese Dynasties 297 Glossary of Selected Terms 299 Works Cited 303 Bibliographic Essay 309 Index 315 Series Foreword The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations series is intended to pro- vide students and interested laypeople with up-to-date, concise, and analytical histories of many of the nations of the contemporary world. Not since the 1960s has there been a systematic attempt to publish a series of national histories, and as series advisors, we believe that this series will prove to be a valuable contribution to our understanding of other countries in our increasingly interdependent world. Some 40 years ago, at the end of the 1960s, the Cold War was an accepted reality of global politics. The process of decolonization was still in progress, the idea of a unified Europe with a single currency was unheard of, the United States was mired in a war in Vietnam, and the economic boom in Asia was still years in the future. Richard Nixon was president of the United States, Mao Tse-tung (not yet Mao Zedong) ruled China, Leonid Brezhnev guided the Soviet Union, and Harold Wilson was prime minister of the United Kingdom. Authori- tarian dictators still controlled most of Latin America, the Middle East was reeling in the wake of the Six-Day War, and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was at the height of his power in Iran. Since then, the Cold War has ended, the Soviet Union has vanished, leaving 15 independent republics in its wake, the advent of the x Series Foreword computer age has radically transformed global communications, the rising demand for oil makes the Middle East still a dangerous flash- point, and the rise of new economic powers like the People’s Republic of China and India threatens to bring about a new world order. All of these developments have had a dramatic impact on the recent history of every nation of the world. For this series, which was launched in 1998, we first selected nations whose political, economic, and socio-cultural affairs marked them as among the most important of our time. For each nation, we found an author who was recognized as a specialist in the history of that nation. These authors worked cooperatively with us and with Greenwood Press to produce volumes that reflected current research on their nations and that are interesting and informative to their readers. In the first decade of the series, more than 40 volumes were published, and as of 2008, some are moving into second editions. The success of the series has encouraged us to broaden our scope to include additional nations, whose histories have had significant effects on their regions, if not on the entire world. In addition, geopolitical changes have elevated other nations into positions of greater impor- tance in world affairs and, so, we have chosen to include them in this series as well. The importance of a series such as this cannot be under- estimated. As a superpower whose influence is felt all over the world, the United States can claim a “special” relationship with almost every other nation. Yet many Americans know very little about the histories of nations with which the United States relates. How did they get to be the way they are? What kind of political systems have evolved there? What kind of influence do they have on their own regions? What are the dominant political, religious, and cultural forces that move their leaders? These and many other questions are answered in the volumes of this series. The authors who contribute to this series write comprehensive his- tories of their nations, dating back, in some instances, to prehistoric times. Each of them, however, has devoted a significant portion of their book to events of the past 40 years because the modern era has contributed the most to contemporary issues that have an impact on U.S. policy. Authors make every effort to be as up-to-date as possible so that readers can benefit from discussion and analysis of recent events. In addition to the historical narrative, each volume contains an introductory chapter giving an overview of that country’s geography, political institutions, economic structure, and cultural attributes. This is meant to give readers a snapshot of the nation as it exists in the Series Foreword xi contemporary world. Each history also includes supplementary infor- mation following the narrative, which may include a timeline that rep- resents a succinct chronology of the nation’s historical evolution, biographical sketches of the nation’s most important historical figures, and a glossary of important terms or concepts that are usually expressed in a foreign language. Finally, each author prepares a com- prehensive bibliography for readers who wish to pursue the subject further. Readers of these volumes will find them fascinating and well- written. More importantly, they will come away with a better under- standing of the contemporary world and the nations that comprise it. As series advisors, we hope that this series will contribute to a height- ened sense of global understanding as we move through the early years of the twenty-first century. Frank W. Thackeray and John E. Findling Indiana University Southeast This page intentionally left blank Preface to the Second Edition This revised edition contains 30,000 more words than the first and includes new chapters on Taiwan and on mainland China in the twenty-first century. I have also included new material in several of the other chapters as well, particularly eyewitness primary accounts of the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution (the twin follies of Mao’s rule over China), and the Tiananmen Massacre. May China never again have to abide such tragically tumultuous times and the tyrants who cause them. The bibliography and bibliography essay are expanded, and there is a new section on Internet resources about China. Thanks are due Kaitlin Ciarmiello at Greenwood Press/ABC-Clio for her patience and forbearance as I completed this revised edition during a move from one residence to another. My oldest son Timothy will soon will soon be married, and I dedi- cate this revised edition to him and the new life adventure on which he is about to embark. Calgary 22 February 2010 This page intentionally left blank Timeline of Historical Events B.C. 1300s Decimal system understood and used 1384 Shang establishes last capital, near Anyang 1122? Shang overthrown; Zhou established 800s Decline of Western Zhou 770 Eastern Zhou founded ca. 600–300 Hundred Schools 551 Birth of Confucius 500s Iron plows used 300s Compass invented, trace harness developed and used, and drilling for natural gas 336 First use of crossbow on the battlefield 200s Farmers plant crops in straight rows Concept similar to Newton’s First Law of Motion understood xvi Timeline of Historical Events 221 Eastern Zhou overthrown; China unified under Qin Shihuang and the Qin dynasty 213 Qin Shihuang has almost all non-Legalist books burned 206 Qin dynasty overthrown 206–202 Civil war 202 Liu Bang founds Han dynasty 100s Circulation of blood in the body understood, paper invented, and parachutes used 165 First government examination held for prospective civil servants 147 Han Wudi enthroned 133 Han Wudi abolishes intermarriage system with Xiongnu as a prelude to war 90 Detente between Xiongnu and Han 54 Xiongnu submit to Han 25 First suspension bridge built A.D.