The History of Chinese Civilization

Written by scholars at Peking University, this is a history of Chinese civilisation in its totality, from Neolithic times to the founding of the Chinese Republic in 1911. Each of the four volumes covers political and social institutions, economics, religion, philosophy, science and technology, literature, art and daily life. There is no other work in the English language that covers this range of subjects in a single history. These volumes make accessible a wealth of historical research and sources that have not previously been translated, and provide insights into the views of the foremost Chinese scholars of their generation. These views are placed in context by newly commissioned introductions to each volume, and discussion throughout is supported by illustrations sourced from collections around the world. This ambitious and inspiring work will stimulate fresh debate across the humanities and social sciences, opening new avenues of academic exchange between East and West.

Earliest Times - 221 BCE
Preface
General introduction
Introduction
The dawn of Chinese civilization
The beginnings of Chinese civilization
The flourishing of civilization in the Shang and Zhou
Brilliant bronze culture
The application and production of bronze
Capitals, cities and commerce of the Shang and Zhou
The origins and early development of Chinese script
Religion and belief in the Shang and Zhou periods
The development of education and the flourishing of scholarship
The birth of Chinese literature and art
Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties
Preface
Introduction
Creation and development of a multiethnic centralized state
The establishment and transformation of bureaucratic government
Growth of the feudal economy
The position and evolution of Ruist learning
Abtruse learning in the Wei and Jin dynasties
The introduction of Buddhism and the appearance of Daoism
The foundation and development of historiography and geography
Literature of the Qin, Han, Wei and Northern and Southern dynasties
The full flourishing of the Arts
Systemization of science and technology
Social life
Sui and Tang to mid-Ming Dynasties (581-1525)
Preface
Introduction
Fusion of southern and northern cultures and unification of the empire
The silk road and cultural exchange between China and foreign lands
Economic prosperity and the shift of the economic center of gravity to the south
The development of the civil service examination system and the rise of the new literati class
The perfection of the civil official system
Ruism and new developments in religion
The expansion of scholarship and the florescence of education
The evolution of the northern peoples and their contribution to Chinese civilization
A new period in the history of Chinese-foreign relations
Science and technology and the development of the concept of science
The downward movement of literature and its full florescence
Artistic style and the spirit of the times
Social life
Late Ming and Qing Dynasties (1525-1911)
Preface
Introduction
Economic development
Proto-enlightenment trends and new elements in political culture
Science and technology
The establishment and growth of a multiethnic state
Political development and people's livelihood
Cultural awareness and achievement in the early and mid-Qing dynasty
The eastward flow of western learning and the spread of Chinese civilization
Religious belief: concepts and practice
New directions in literature and the arts
Order and disruption in social life
Education in schools and in society
The building of core cities and the emergence of regional differences
The push for reform: the birth of modern culture
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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The History of Chinese Civilization

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Table of Contents

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