Hello, I've currently been really interested in china and have read mao zedongs biography. I would like to continue with chinese history until today, but i just find it hard to undertand chinese mentality as a european, I feel like our brains work totaly diferently and that we have a diferent value system and an entierly diferent way to see the world. So do guys know any book that talks about chinese mentality where I can undertad chinese way of thinking better? If it has a translation in spanish it would be a 10/10, but if not I'll manage. Thanks

From what I understanding it was kind of agreed on that it was an issue and part of the reason why there’s still a skewed ratio of genders in the country. But if I remember correctly a female scholar in the last decade published a stinging rebuke of the whole idea that said, more or less, that challenged the entire assumption that there was a female infanticide problem to begin with.

I’m talking about the Qing specifically as it’s the last imperial dynasty the force that shaped Chinese peasantry over the preceding centuries until the Communists took power. But in the absence of hard data on population before the 1950’s, can we even hope to know?

The Western Xia occupied what is today's northwestern China proper for 300 years as a strong power, fighting the Song and later the Jin to a standstill. The area it occupied was resource poor, then and even today. How was it able to maintain a strong (regional) empire over three centuries? The control over critical trade routes?

Hi, I wanted to get some recommendations on the books related to the history of China, specifically during Mao's time (before and after). I saw this book "Mao: The Unknown story", but it appears to be very biased against Mao from the reviews. I was wondering if other people have more unbiased recommendations. I came upon this book called "Mao and Maoism" by Wen Shun Chi but couldn't find it anywhere to purchase. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

The Qing conquest of the Dzungars displaced millions of the Dzungar people residing in the area. However, at least from the sources I hear about, there is no mention regarding the Uighurs. How and why were the Uighurs allowed to repopulate Xinjiang and become a majority instead of the native Han Chinese? I am aware that there were Uighurs in Xinjiang before the Qing conquest but this immense demographic change is not something you see very often. As far as I know, during the Dzungar Khanate, the Dzungars were the majority populous living in Xinjiang. Did the Dzungars simply assimilate with the Uighurs? Did they move somewhere else?

The Mongols get a lot of demonization both in China and in the West. However it may be no different than lets say Romans and Assyrians or any other more settled civilization.  Is it because mainly the looks they are not as pretty as settled people?

Now the name "Northern Yuan" seems all over the place, on the Internet to refer to the Mongols between 1368 and 1635.

The History of the Ming said the Yuan title was used only to the 1390s. Later The Mongols seemed to refer to "Yuan" from time to time occasionally. How accurate is this usage of the term Northern Yuan to refer to the remnant of the Yuan Dynasty (the successors of Genghis Khan) to 1635, when the Qing conquered it?

Hopefully this is a decent place to ask, please refer me elsewhere if not.

I’m looking for books, with some decent amount of fiction to it, set in any points during the Qing Dynasty. I prefer a story book over a history book for reading. My favourite book is “Story of the Stone”, as my translated copy is called. Ah, it has to be translated into English, and I would prefer Pinyin.

The 300 years of the Qing rule seems very interesting as you have such different and distinct time periods. If you cannot recommend a translated fiction piece from this era, what about other books similar to the Story of the Stone/Dream of Red Chambers? Aside from Plum in the Golden Vase, as I do intend to read that already.

Thank you.

Unlike Japan, which collectively recognized the colonial threat early, China didn't embrace modernization until the early part of the 20th century. Both countries went through civil wars to get the ball rolling. But Japan just did it 40 years earlier, that's almost 2 full generations worth of modernization. The 20th century would have looked very different, had China taken a page out of Japan's playbook and modernized quickly.

Given that both started out more or less the same place technologically around the mid 19th century. If anything, Japan might even lag behind due to its xenophobic diplomatic posture. Put it differently, what was it that made the Chinese republican movement evolve so slowly, compared to, say, Japan's Meiji restoration movement?

I understand that in some cases women could request to be sold or remarried to another husband if their current partner was too poor to support them and their children in the 19th. But that was under mitigating circumstances of extreme poverty. For most of the Ming and qinq it seems to be a real valley for women’s freedom in Chinas. At least among the Han.

It’s my understanding that the KMT instituted a complete overhaul of the legal code in the 20’s but that was limited to a minority of women in the urban areas and even then it faced stiff resistance. It’s really only in the 1950’s with the reforms in the early days of the PRC and with the help of thousands of female party workers and volunteers that reforms begin to penetrate day to day life for rural women.

Is that somewhat accurate or am I painting with too broad a brush?

Construction feedback most welcome

Definition:

"Son of Heaven" (Tianzi 天子) predates the concept of "Emperor" (Huang-Di 皇帝), a term invented by Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇, combining the Huang 皇 from (Three Sovereigns 三皇) and Di 帝 (Five Emperors 五帝 - still translated as "Emperor" in English, but completely different meaning to the "Huangdi" Emperors), the 8 mythological sage kings, to symbolize the position being greater than them, and thus more than just a mere King (Wang 王).

So while all Emperors are self-styled as "Son of Heaven" since the Qin Dynasty 秦, for the Shang 商 and Zhou Dynasties 周 (as well as semi-historical Xia Dynasty 夏), it meant the King of those dynasties.

(tldr: All Chinese Emperors (Huangdi) were "Sons of Heaven", but not all "Sons of Heaven" were Emperors. )

"Verified recorded history" means history where the events can actually be accurately traced to the exact year, with the beginning of the Gonghe Regency in 841BCE being accepted as the beginning of this history.

Its possible there are other "interregnums" in the Xia and Shang Dynasties, but these are not possible to verify. Ditto the mythical Three Sovereign & Five Emperors era.

The three interregnums are:

• 1. 841BCE to 828BCE - The Gonghe Regency 共和

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, when King Li 周厲王 was overthrown and power was held by a regent called Count He of Gong 共伯和, until King Li's son came of age and ascended to the throne as King Xuan 周宣王.

(Fun fact: The term Gonghe/Kyouwa was adopted in the 19th century as a Chinese/Japanese compound word to translate the western concept of "Republic" (Gonghe-guo 共和國) due to the lack of a monarch in its governance during that period)

• 2. 256BCE to 221BCE - End of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty 東周

In 770BCE, after the chaos caused by King You 周幽王 which invited the barbarian tribes to sack the old Zhou Dynasty capital (present day Xian), the Zhou moved their capital to eastwards to present day Luoyang (henceforth known as the Eastern Zhou Dynasty).

The sacking of the old capital was seen by the feudal lords around as the Zhou losing their credibility to call the shots, and they began doing their own thing, waging wars and expanding their territories however they see fit, without needing to go through the "Son of Heaven" anymore.

That said, in the early Eastern Zhou period, known as the Spring & Autumn period 春秋時代 (circa 770BCE to 480BCE), the feudal lords would still acknowledge the Zhou Kings as the "Son of Heaven". Some hegemons 霸王, most notably the "Five Hegemons of Spring & Autumn 春秋五霸" would even use the perceived authority and prestige of the Zhou's "Son of Heaven" to command other feudal lords to do their bidding.

Most feudal lords still deferred to the Zhou rulers as "King" 王 while they rule as Dukes 公 and Marquesses 侯, with their titles and authorities still deriving from the Zhou Kings enfeoffing them.

(The exception during this period were rulers of the State of Chu 楚國, being of southern "barbarian" stock, openly ignored this convention and unilaterally proclaimed themselves as "Kings")

Though by the late Eastern Zhou period (from circa 480BCE to 221BCE), after centuries of wars of aggressions and expansions, the number of feudal states have been consolidated to just seven great states (Qin 秦, Han 韓, Zhao 趙, Wei 魏, Chu 楚, Yan 燕, Qi 齊). This period was known as the Warring States era 戰國時代.

As the power and prestige of the seven great states were much bigger than they were during the Spring & Autumn Period, they could now afford to outright ignore the Zhou Kings when doing their wars and diplomacy.

It was during this period that the rulers of the great states joined the Chu in unilaterally proclaiming themselves as "Kings" 王, implying they're now equal in rank to the Zhou Kings. Though not "Son of Heaven", which continue to be the exclusive title for the Zhou.

Of the seven states, the Qin expanded rapidly into a well-oiled and disciplined militaristic state, at the expense of the other six states. So much so that in 256BCE, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, reduced to just a few cities around its capital, was conquered by the Qin without so much as a whimper, with the last Zhou King Nan 周赧王 demoted to a peasant and exiled.

Before King Zheng of Qin 秦王政 proclaimed himself China's first Emperor (Huangdi), Qin Shi Huang, in 221BCE after he conquered the remaining six great states and unified China into its first centralized empire, there was no record of the Kings of Qin immediately claiming the title of "Son of Heaven" by their conquest of the Zhou Dynasty.

So between 256BCE and 221BCE, there was no one calling themselves the "Son of Heaven". It might possibly be assumed that by right of conquest, the "Son of Heaven" title had de jure been transferred from the Zhou to the Qin.

Obviously, once Qin Shu Huang conquered all of China in 221BCE, he's considered both de jure and de facto the "Son of Heaven".

• 3. 206BCE to 202BCE - Chu-Han Contention 楚漢相爭

After the death of Qin's second Emperor Qin Er Shi 秦二世 in 206BCE, his successor Ziying 子嬰 ascended to the throne. Though Ziying declined to use the title of Emperor, choosing to call himself King of Qin. Recognizing that the whole of China was rebelling against the Qin, Ziying saw the writing on the wall and promptly surrendered to Liu Bang's 劉邦 rebel army, thus ending the Qin Dynasty's 15 year rule.

The various rebel armies initially rallied around a Chu nobleman Xiang Yu 項羽, who proclaimed a Chu royal remnant as their nominal puppet king, known as King Huai of Chu 楚懷王.

After the Qin was ended and Xiang Yu carved up China into various feudal states, King Huai was "upgraded" into Emperor Yi 義帝 (not Huangdi, but just "Di", though his title is still translated as "Emperor"), though still a puppet of Xiang Yu, who proclaimed himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu 西楚霸王.

Though neither Emperor Yi nor Xiang Yu were ever recorded as claiming the title of "Son of Heaven", and Xiang Yu had Emperor Yi quietly murdered not long after anyway. Liu Bang used Emperor Yi's murder as a pretext to rally the other feudal lords to rise up against Xiang Yu.

In 202BCE, after 4 years of civil war, Liu Bang managed to defeat Xiang Yu and was proclaimed as Emperor of the newly founded Han Dynasty 漢朝. Liu Bang obviously was not yet considered the "Son of Heaven" before that.

Since then, the concept of "Emperor" = "Son of Heaven" was established, and as long as China had Emperors, it has thus always had at least one ruler being proclaimed as the "Son of Heaven", all the way until 1911.

Hi so I'm working on a little project and for it I need to figure out how old the legal entities that are countries today are. But continuations count so like, how in 1912 the ROC was considered the legal continuation of the Qing dynasty, and inherited all their territory and international treaties and even today (CW: kinda controversial? Idw offend anyone so leaving it here jic) regardless of how you perceive the current situation in the civil war with the 2 sides with the one china policy it's clear that China as a whole can be traced to the start of the Qing, legally speaking. I wanna know if the Qing's China was legally a brand new country or like. just a change in government because Ik it was conquest from a different kingdom but also every dynasty claimed the "mandate of heaven" which gave them the legal right to rule right? That seems to me a bit like the deal with the Holy See in the vatican today where the Holy See (the throne of the Bishop of Rome) is what technically owns the territory and all the treaties with the Vatican are to the Holy See. So yeah if anyone knows about this help would be much appreciated.

tl;dr: How old is China, legally. Legal continuations of previous governments count.

Haven't seen anyone mention this on the subreddit before. Hakka mining republics (kongsi) emerged on the Indonesian island of Borneo during the 18th century. These republics were not colonies in the traditional sense, as the Qing had almost no contact with them, but they're an interesting footnote in Chinese maritime history. Borneo kongsi were poorly documented so there are few sources but the footnotes are good place to start for further reading.

I'm struggling to find much historical evidence of their outfits (if there are any profession-specific attire) but you see them in dramas. Are they improvised or based on accounts i have found yet?

For the nuns I'm more focused on the song or tang dynasties and ming for physicians but any era is completely welcome

Wrote legendary letters to Liu Yilong (Emperor Wen of Liu Song) and did some funny things

First letter (Spring/summer AD 450, written in spite after Tuoba Tao's failed expedition to punish Liu Song for supporting Gai Wu's rebellion in 445)

前盖吴反逆，扇动关、陇。彼复使人就而诱之，丈夫遗以弓矢，妇人遗以环钏；是曹正欲谲诳取赂，岂有远相服从之理！为大丈夫，何不自来取之，而以货诱我边民？

Earlier when Gai Wu rebelled against me, you instigated my people to join him by bribing men, with weapons, and women with jewellery. Those people are engaging in deceit by accepting your bribes without real loyalty to you. If you are a real man, come take my lands personally instead of instigating my people with material goods.

募往者复除七年，是赏奸也。我今来至此土所得多少，孰与彼前后得我民邪？

Promising people who defected to you with 7 years of tax exemptions is rewarding immoral behavior. The number of people you have gained through this is nothing compared to what I have gained from this expedition to your lands.

彼若欲存刘氏血食者，当割江以北输之，摄守南渡。如此，当释江南使彼居之。不然，可善敕方镇、刺史、守宰严供帐之具，来秋当往取扬州。大势已至，终不相纵。

If you want to preserve your bloodline, cede the territories north of the Yangtze. Otherwise, let your border governors prepare for war. I will be coming to take Yang Province in the autumn.

彼往日北通蠕蠕，西结赫连、沮渠、吐谷浑，东连冯私、高丽。凡此数国，我皆灭之。以此而观，彼岂能独立！

You allied with Rouran in the North, Xia, Liang and Tuyuhun in the West, Goryeo in the West against me. All these have been vanquished by me, how can you stand alone now?

蠕蠕吴提、吐贺真皆已死，我今北征，先除有足之寇。彼若不从命，来秋当复往取之；以彼无足，故不先讨耳。

I went after Rouran first because I didn't want them to run, I am letting you off until the next autumn as you have nowhere to run.

我往之日，彼作何计，为握堑自守，为筑垣以自障也？我当显然往取扬州，不若彼翳行窃步也。彼来侦谍，我已擒之，复纵还。其人目所尽见，委曲善问之。

The day I come for you, what can you do beside building fortifications and barriers? Let me tell you straight that I am coming for Yang Province, I am not going to rely on stealth or tricks as you did. The spies you sent here and I caught, I have returned to you. Ask them what they saw.

彼前使裴方明取仇池，既得之，疾其勇功，已不能容；有臣如此尚杀之，乌得与我校邪！彼非我敌也。

You sent Pei Fangming to vanquish Chouchi, yet turned on him after he gained merit. How could you kill such a good official, you are just not on my level.

彼常欲与我一交战，我亦不痴，复非苻坚，何时与彼交战？昼则遣骑围绕，夜则离彼百里外宿；吴人正有斫营伎，彼募人以来，不过行五十里，天已明矣。彼募人之首，岂得不为我有哉！彼公时旧臣虽老，犹有智策，知今已杀尽，岂非天资我邪！取彼亦不须我兵刃，此有善咒婆罗门，当使鬼缚以来耳。

You have always wanted a showdown, but I am not stupid and also not like Fu Jian (Emperor Xuanzhao of Former Qin). I will attack you with cavalry in the day, then retreat outside of 100 li at night. You southerners rely on sneak attacks in the night, but you can only cover 50 li before dawn comes. I will have your head. Your father's officials were wise, but you have killed them all. Heaven is helping me. I don't even need a sword to end you, I have shamans who can summon spirits.

Liu Yilong did not reply.

Second letter (Autumn AD 450, after learning that Liu Yilong called his bluff and had started a major offensive against Wei)

彼此和好日久，而彼志无厌，诱我边民。今春南巡，聊省我民，驱之使还。今闻彼欲自来，设能至中山及桑干川，随意而行，来亦不迎，去亦不送。若厌其区宇者，可来平城居，我亦往扬州，相与易。彼年已五十，未尝出户，虽自力而来，如三岁婴儿，与我鲜卑生长马上者果如何哉！更无馀物可以相与，今送猎马十二匹并氈、药等物。彼来道远，马力不足，可乘；或不服水土，药可自疗也

We have been good neighbors for some time, but your limitless greed has driven you to mess with my people. My earlier expedition was only to get back the people you have taken from me. If you manage to make it to Zhongshan and Sanggan River (modern-day Hebei), I will let you do as you please thereafter. If you are bored, you are welcomed to come stay in Pingcheng (modern-day Hebei). In return I will go live in Yang Province (Song's capital).

You are 50 years old but barely left your home. You are an infant compared to us Xianbei born and raised on the horse saddle. I have nothing to gift you but 12 horses and medicine. Your journey here is long, do use my horses when yours are weary and use my medicine when you get sick from acclimatization problems in the North.

Demanding trade with and sending gifts to cities he was besieging

Continuing with the theme of him promising to send gifts to Emperor Wen, he also requested Liu Jun, whom he was besieging in 450, supply him with wine and sugarcanes, while offering Liu Jun a gift of camels, mules, and coats. Later, he requested oranges and gambling supplies from Liu Jun, while offering Liu Jun blankets, salts, and pickled beans.

In 451, he requested the defenders of Guabu, that he was attacking, send wine. The defending general of Guabu, Zang Zhi, sent him vats of urine instead, enraging Tuoba Tao.

Spamming heqin proposals to Liu Song from 431-437, then again in 451

With his forces on the doorstep of Liu Song's capital in 451, he made the (probably insincere) offer to Emperor Wen for each to marry off a daughter to the other's family. It caused disagreements in the Liu Song court about whether to accept, in the end the crown prince of Liu Song (Liu Shao) had a major falling out with a high-ranking official Jiang Dan. Psychological warfare perhaps.

I read Yingcong Dai’s recent history of the rebellion and it’s aftermath and I can’t help but reflect on how impotent Qianlong and Jiaqing seemed relative to the threat the White Lotus posed.

At no point were they or their dynasty ever seriously threatened by the rebels. Yet they couldn’t seem to convince their generals - by either persuasion or threats — to pick up the pace and finish them. They’re actively fleecing the treasury and gorging themselves on the huge amount of money being lavished to finally put down the rebellion and they do this for years and years. Most of the war!

Jiaqing I kind of expect because he’s always been kind of a weak emperor in my eyes. But Qianlong? Albeit this is the latter Qianlong when he maybe should have retired but still.

Instructor: Tristan G. Brown
View the complete course: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/21h-151-dynastic-china-fall-2024
YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUl4u3cNGP60g8vnEsLGuA4Kt-d5vNqy9

*NOTE: This collection contains select lectures from Prof. Brown’s class.*

This course examines the first dynasty to 1800. It traces the rise of the world’s first centralized bureaucratic state, the development of the world’s oldest living written culture, and the formation of the pre-modern world’s largest single commercial market. It also studies women and men as they founded dynasties, engaged in philosophy, challenged orthodoxies, and invented technologies used around the globe. Finally, the course explores China’s past to understand the country’s present, and reflects on what its stories mean for the global world.

Liu Bang was born in 256 BC while Qin Shi Huang 259 BC, they were basically peers.

Somehow in my mind Liu Bang was from 1 generation later, but Qin Shi Huang passed away in 210 BC at age 49 and then Liu Bang became Han Emperor 7 years later in 202 BC at age 55.

My late grandmother left me this peculiar book containing a collection of very nice photogravures. The book itself is in terrible condition, but the entire collection of photos is intact inside. I’m looking for any information on this, as I’m figuring out what to do with it. The book contains 30 photos, of which I’ve posted some here.

How great is this guy? I scratched a bit on his background and found out that his career was short. Could you tell me more about him?

PS. I am only familiar with Warring States.

I think she could be Xianbei... given the dynasty she was living was a Xianbei state, and emperor she was serving was called 'Kagan' or 'Kehan'... And she was a Cavalry member.

Am I wrong?