CONTENTS | Voice of Chinese

INTRODUCTION 1

_THE EARLIEST TIMES_

Chapter I: PREHISTORY

1 Sources for the earliest history 7
2 The Peking Man 8
3 The Palaeolithic Age 8
4 The Neolithic Age 9
5 The eight principal prehistoric cultures 10
6 The Yang-shao culture 12
7 The Lung-shan culture 15
8 The first petty States in Shansi 16

Chapter II: THE SHANG DYNASTY
(_c._ 1600-1028 B.C.)

1 Period, origin, material culture 19
2 Writing and Religion 22
3 Transition to feudalism 24

_ANTIQUITY_

Chapter III: THE CHOU DYNASTY (_c._ 1028-257 B.C.)

1 Cultural origin of the Chou and end of the Shang dynasty 29
2 Feudalism in the new empire 30
3 Fusion of Chou and Shang 32
4 Limitation of the imperial power 36
5 Changes in the relative strength of the feudal states 38
6 Confucius 40
7 Lao Tzu 45

Chapter IV: THE CONTENDING STATES (481-256 B.C.):

DISSOLUTION OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM

1 Social and military changes 51
2 Economic changes 53
3 Cultural changes 57

Chapter V: THE CHIN DYNASTY (256-207 B.C.)

1 Towards the unitary State 62
2 Centralization in every field 64
3 Frontier Defence. Internal collapse 67

_THE MIDDLE AGES_

Chapter VI: THE HAN DYNASTY (206 B.C.-A.D. 220)

1 Development of the gentry-state 71
2 Situation of the Hsiung-nu empire; its relation to the
Han empire. Incorporation of South China 75
3 Brief feudal reaction. Consolidation of the gentry 77
4 Turkestan policy. End of the Hsiung-nu empire 86
5 Impoverishment. Cliques. End of the Dynasty 90
6 The pseudo-socialistic dictatorship. Revolt of the "Red
Eyebrows" 93
7 Reaction and Restoration: the Later Han dynasty 96
8 Hsiung-nu policy 97
9 Economic situation. Rebellion of the "Yellow Turbans".
Collapse of the Han dynasty 99
10 Literature and Art 103

Chapter VII: THE EPOCH OF THE FIRST DIVISION
OF CHINA (A.D. 220-580)

(A) _The three kingdoms_ (A.D. 220-265)

1 Social, intellectual, and economic problems during the
period of the first division 107
2 Status of the two southern Kingdoms 109
3 The northern State of Wei 113

(B) _The Western Chin dynasty_ (265-317)

1 Internal situation in the Chin empire 115
2 Effect on the frontier peoples 116
3 Struggles for the throne 119
4 Migration of Chinese 120
5 Victory of the Huns. The Hun Han dynasty (later renamed
the Earlier Chao dynasty) 121

1 The Later Chao dynasty in eastern North China (Hun; 329-352) 123
2 Earlier Yen dynasty in the north-east (proto-Mongol;
352-370), and the Earlier Ch'in dynasty in all north
China (Tibetan; 351-394) 126
3 The fragmentation of north China 128
4 Sociological analysis of the two great alien empires 131
5 Sociological analysis of the petty States 132
6 Spread of Buddhism 133

(D) _The Toba empire in North China_ (A.D. 385-550)

1 The rise of the Toba State 136
2 The Hun kingdom of the Hsia (407-431) 139
3 Rise of the Toba to a great power 139
4 Economic and social conditions 142
5 Victory and retreat of Buddhism 145

(E) _Succession States of the Toba_ (A.D. 550-580):
_Northern Ch'i dynasty, Northern Chou dynasty_

1 Reasons for the splitting of the Toba empire 148
2 Appearance of the (Goek) Turks 149
3 The Northern Ch'i dynasty; the Northern Chou dynasty 150

(F) _The southern empires_

1 Economic and social situation in the south 152
2 Struggles between cliques under the Eastern Chin
dynasty (A.D. 317-419) 155
3 The Liu-Sung dynasty (A.D. 420-478) and the Southern
Ch'i dynasty (A.D. 479-501) 159
4 The Liang dynasty (A.D. 502-556) 161
5 The Ch'en dynasty (A.D. 557-588) and its ending by the
Sui 162
6 Cultural achievements of the south 163

Chapter VIII: THE EMPIRES OF THE SUI AND
THE T'ANG

(A) _The Sui dynasty_ (A.D. 580-618)

1 Internal situation in the newly unified empire 166
2 Relations with Turks and with Korea 169
3 Reasons for collapse 170

(B) _The Tang dynasty_ (A.D. 618-906)

1 Reforms and decentralization 172
2 Turkish policy 176
3 Conquest of Turkestan and Korea. Summit of power 177
4 The reign of the empress Wu: Buddhism and capitalism 179
5 Second blossoming of T'ang culture 182
6 Revolt of a military governor 184
7 The role of the Uighurs. Confiscation of the capital of the
monasteries 186
8 First successful peasant revolt. Collapse of the empire 189

_MODERN TIMES_

Chapter IX: THE EPOCH OF THE SECOND
DIVISION OF CHINA

(A) _The period of the Five Dynasties_ (906-960)

1 Beginning of a new epoch 195
2 Political situation in the tenth century 199
3 Monopolistic trade in South China. Printing and paper
money in the north 200
4 Political history of the Five Dynasties 202

(B) _Period of Moderate Absolutism_

(1) _The Northern Sung dynasty_

1 Southward expansion 208
2 Administration and army. Inflation 210
3 Reforms and Welfare schemes 215
4 Cultural situation (philosophy, religion, literature, painting) 217
5 Military collapse 221

(2) _The Liao (Kitan) dynasty in the north_ (937-1125)

1 Sociological structure. Claim to the Chinese imperial
throne 222
2 The State of the Kara-Kitai 223

(3) _The Hsi-Hsia State in the north_ (1038-1227)

1 Continuation of Turkish traditions 224

(4) _The empire of the Southern Sung dynasty_ (1127-1279)

1 Foundation 225
2 Internal situation 226
3 Cultural situation; reasons for the collapse 227

(5) _The empire of the Juchen in the north_ (1115-1234)

1 Rapid expansion from northern Korea to the Yangtze 229
2 United front of all Chinese 229
3 Start of the Mongol empire 230

Chapter X: THE PERIOD OF ABSOLUTISM

(A) _The Mongol Epoch_ (1280-1368)

1 Beginning of new foreign rules 232
2 "Nationality legislation" 233
3 Military position 234
4 Social situation 235
5 Popular risings: National rising 238
6 Cultural 241

(B) _The Ming Epoch_ (1368-1644)

1 Start. National feeling 243
2 Wars against Mongols and Japanese 244
3 Social legislation within the existing order 246
4 Colonization and agricultural developments 248
5 Commercial and industrial developments 250
6 Growth of the small gentry 252
7 Literature, art, crafts 253
8 Politics at court 256
9 Navy. Southward expansion 258
10 Struggles between cliques 259
11 Risings 262
12 Machiavellism 263
13 Foreign relations in the sixteenth century 264
14 External and internal perils 266

1 Installation of the Manchus 270
2 Decline in the eighteenth century 272
3 Expansion in Central Asia; the first State treaty 277
4 Culture 279
5 Relations with the outer world 282
6 Decline; revolts 284
7 European Imperialism in the Far East 285
8 Risings in Turkestan and within China: the T'ai P'ing Rebellion 288
9 Collision with Japan; further Capitulations 294
10 Russia in Manchuria 296
11 Reform and reaction: The Boxer Rising 296
12 End of the dynasty 299

Chapter XI: THE REPUBLIC (1912-1948)

1 Social and intellectual position 303
2 First period of the Republic: The warlords 309
3 Second period of the Republic: Nationalist China 314
4 The Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945) 317

Chapter XII: PRESENT-DAY CHINA

1 The growth of communism 320
2 Nationalist China in Taiwan 323
3 Communist China 327

Notes and References 335

Index 355