The Open Empire A History of China Through 1600

by Hansen, Valerie

• ISBN13: 9780393973747
• ISBN10: 0393973743
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-04-03
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

The Open Empire presents a fresh approach to Chinese history in the premodern period, drawing on stunning evidence from recent archaeological finds and exciting currents in scholarship. Departing from the dynastic structure typical of other histories, Valerie Hansen charts the broad social changes that transcend the artificial chronological boundaries of dynasties, enriching her narrative with discussions of everyday life in the distant past. Peopling the pages are nobles, peasants, women, students, writers, and rebels--all offering their own distinct and colorful perspective. Illuminating the many ways in which Chinese society has been influenced by foreign cultures, The Open Empire depicts China as a country with a dynamic, open history.

Author Biography

Valerie Hansen is professor of history at Yale University.

Table of Contents

Maps	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
The Use of Pinyin	xvii
Introduction	3	(1)
The Goals of this Book	3	(2)
The Model of the Dynastic Cycle	5	(1)
Archeological Sources	6	(2)
Literary Sources: The Use of Fiction	8	(1)
Artistic Sources: What Paintings Reveal	9	(1)
Structure of the Book	10	(5)
PART I: INVENTING CHINA (ca. 1200 B.C.--A.D. 200)	15	(136)
The Beginnings of the Written Record (CA. 1200 B.C.--77 I B.C.)	17	(38)
Dragon Bone Soup and Early Chinese Writing	20	(8)
The Discoveries at Anyang	28	(8)
Shang Relations with Other States	36	(6)
The Zhou Conquest of the Shang	42	(13)
The Age of the Warrior and the Thinker: Double Ears and Confucius (770 B.C.--221 B.C.)	55	(42)
The Commentary of Mr. Zuo and the Society It Describes	57	(10)
The World of Confucius	67	(12)
A World Breaking Apart: The Differences among Confucius's Disciples	79	(18)
The Creation of Empire (221 B.C.--A.D. 200)	97	(54)
The Legalist State	100	(12)
The Founding of the Han Dynasty	112	(5)
The World of the Regional Rulers: The Mawangdui Finds	117	(9)
The Han Dynasty under Emperor Wu	126	(4)
Economic Problems during the Han Dynasty	130	(5)
The Restoration of the Later Han	135	(9)
The Rise of the Organized Daoist Church	144	(7)
PART II: FACING WEST (A.D. 200--1000)	151	(108)
China's Religious Landscape (200--600)	153	(38)
The First Buddhists in China	155	(8)
Buddhism in Central Asia: The Example of the Kucha Kingdom	163	(7)
Contact between India and China	170	(5)
The Northern Wei Dynasty (386--534)	175	(10)
Religious Life in South China	185	(6)
China's Golden Age (589--755)	191	(30)
How the Sui Dynasty Brought the Empire Together	192	(4)
The Fall of the Sui Dynasty and the Founding of the Tang	196	(7)
Daily Life in the Capital	203	(10)
Daily Life in Rural Areas	213	(8)
The An Lushan Rebellion and Its Aftermath (755--960)	221	(38)
The An Lushan Rebellion	221	(24)
The Discovery of the Library Cave at Dunhuang	245	(4)
Dunhuang in the Years after 755	249	(10)
PART III: FACING NORTH (1000--1600)	259	(150)
Coming to Terms with Money: The Song Dynasty (960--1276)	261	(38)
The First Commercial Revolution and Its Effects	261	(4)
The Founding of the Song	265	(4)
The New Policies: Supporters and Opponents	269	(11)
Remembering the North	280	(9)
Life under the Southern Song (1127--1276)	289	(10)
The Northern Dynasties: Non-Chinese Rule in North China (907--1215)	299	(36)
The Khitans	300	(15)
The Rise of the Jurchen	315	(5)
Jin Rule after the 1141 Peace with the South	320	(6)
Scholarly Culture under the Jin	326	(5)
The Division of North and South	331	(4)
The Mongols (CA. 1200--1368)	335	(34)
The Origins of the Mongol Confederation	336	(6)
Western Visitors to the Khan's Court	342	(5)
The Mongol Conquest of South China	347	(12)
Zhao Mengfu and the Art of Heightened Expressiveness	359	(6)
The Fall of the Mongols	365	(4)
Continuing the War against the Mongols: the Ming Dynasty (1368--1644)	369	(40)
The Ming Founder and the System He Designed	371	(5)
The Voyages of the Yongle Emperor	376	(11)
Social Change under the Ming	387	(18)
The Second Commercial Revolution of the Ming Dynasty	405	(4)
Epilogue	409	(6)
Notes	415	(12)
Suggestions for Further Reading	427	(10)
Acknowledgments and Credits	437	(4)
Index	441