The Columbia guide to modern Chinese history

China, the world's oldest and most populous state, remains an enigma to most people in the West, even at a time when that country is playing an increasingly prominent role on the international stage. At the heart of modern Chinese history have been the efforts of the Chinese people to transform their polity into a modern nation state, the Confucian orthodoxy into an ideology that can help direct that process, and an agrarian economy into an industrial one. These efforts are ongoing and of great importance. This book is both an introduction to the major features of modern Chinese history and a resource for researchers interested in virtually any topic relating to the Chinese experience of the last 220 years. This valuable reference contains: • a historical narrative providing a comprehensive overview of five core aspects of Chinese history: domestic politics, society, the economy, the world of culture and thought, and relations with the outside world; • a compendium of 250 short, descriptive articles on key figures, events, and terms; • a resource guide containing approximately 500 annotated entries for the most authoritative sources for further research in English, as well as descriptions of important films depicting modern China and a guide to electronic resources; and • appendices, including a chronology, excerpts from key primary source documents, and a wealth of tables and graphs on demographic, social, and economic trends. Columbia University Press "Outstanding" Rated Titles from University Press Books: Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries CONTENTS......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 PART I: HISTORICAL NARRATIVE......Page 20 China in 1780......Page 22 The Faces of Western Imperialism......Page 32 Domestic Rebellion and the Devolution of Power to the Localities......Page 40 Military Defeats and the Loss of Tributary States......Page 49 The Cultural, Ideological, and Political Nature of Chinese Response to Civilizational Crisis......Page 56 The "Revolutionary" Manchus......Page 69 Militarization and Political Options......Page 76 Social and Cultural Revolution......Page 82 Nationalism and Its Proponents......Page 90 Struggles to Reconstruct Chinese Society......Page 100 The Ravages of Invasion and Civil War......Page 109 The Years That Were Fat......Page 123 Communization and Militarization......Page 130 Cultural and Economic Catastrophe......Page 138 Reform and Repression......Page 146 State Decentralization and National Power......Page 152 Social and Cultural Change......Page 160 Major Events and Movements......Page 174 Terms......Page 182 Institutions and Organizations......Page 185 Treaties and International Settlements......Page 189 Emperors......Page 191 Qing Dynasty Government Leaders......Page 193 Leaders of Dissent, Rebellion, or Revolution......Page 198 Nationalist Party (Guomindang/Kuomintang) Leaders......Page 202 Communist Party (Gongchandang) Leaders......Page 206 Military Figures......Page 216 Intellectuals, Writers, and Artists......Page 220 General Works......Page 234 Politics......Page 239 Society......Page 250 The Economy......Page 257 The World of Culture and Thought......Page 262 Relations with the Outside World......Page 271 Documentaries and Feature Films......Page 275 Electronic Resources......Page 279 PART IV: APPENDICES......Page 282 APPENDIX I: CHRONOLOGY, 1780 TO THE PRESENT......Page 284 1. Letter of Commissioner Lin Zexu to Queen Victoria (1839)......Page 289 2. The Taiping Plan for Reorganizing Chinese Society from The Land System of the Heavenly Dynasty (1853)......Page 290 3. Memorial of Kang Youwei to the Guangxu Emperor (1898)......Page 292 4. The Boxer Protocol (1901)......Page 294 5. The Manifesto of the Revolutionary Alliance (Tongmenghui) (1905)......Page 297 6. Chen Duxiu's "Call to Youth" from New Youth (1915)......Page 298 7. The Three Principles of the People, Sun Yat-sen (1924)......Page 301 8. Fundamentals of National Reconstruction, Sun Yat-sen (1924)......Page 303 9. Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan, Mao Zedong (1927)......Page 305 10. The Jiangxi Soviet Land Law of 1932......Page 306 11. Talks at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, Mao Zedong (1942)......Page 309 12. On the People's Democratic Dictatorship, Mao Zedong (1949)......Page 310 13. The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China (1950)......Page 312 14. Decision of the Central Committee of the CCP Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966)......Page 315 16. "Democracy or a New Dictatorship," Wei Jingsheng, published in Explorations (1979)......Page 317 17. Proposals for the Reform of the Political Structure, Su Shaozhi (1986)......Page 319 18. Wall poster, Beijing Spring (1989)......Page 321 19. Main points of Deng Xiaoping's Talks in Shenzhen (1992)......Page 323 20. Excerpt from Decision of Central Committee on Some Issues Concerning the Establishment of a Socialist Market Economic Structure (1993)......Page 324 Chinese Communist Party (CCP)......Page 327 Guomindang (Nationalist Party)......Page 330 Table 1: Selected Development and Demographic Trends, 1950–90......Page 333 Table 3: Ethnic Minorities with Populations Over Four Million......Page 334 Table 4: Basic Indicators for Greater China, 1995......Page 335 Table 5: Indicators of Economic Development Level, 1952–90......Page 336 Table 6: China’s Trade with Selected Countries and Regions, 1970, 1978–85......Page 337 Table 7: United States Trade with China, 1978–93......Page 338 Table 9: Agricultural Performance, 1957–78 and 1978–84......Page 339 Table 10: State Budgets with Reference to Defense and Other Expenditures, 1978–94......Page 340 Table 11: Indicators of Social Development, 1952–90......Page 341 Table 12: Number of Schools, 1952–91......Page 342 Table 13: Number of Students, 1950–91......Page 343 Table 14: Changes in Aspects of Freedom of Mate Choice, 1900–82......Page 344 Table 15: Bride Age at First Marriage, 1900–82......Page 345 Table 16: Groom Age at First Marriage, 1900–82......Page 346 Figure 1: Urban Residents Income and Living Expenditures, 1995......Page 347 Figure 2: Urban Ownership of Household Appliances, 1995......Page 348 B......Page 350 C......Page 352 D......Page 355 E......Page 356 G......Page 357 H......Page 358 J......Page 359 L......Page 360 M......Page 362 N......Page 364 P......Page 366 R......Page 367 S......Page 368 T......Page 370 W......Page 372 Y......Page 373 Z......Page 374 "The Columbia Guide to Modern Chinese History is both an introduction to the major features of modern Chinese history and a resource for researchers interested in virtually any topic relating to the Chinese experience of the last 220 years." "It is a helpful, accessible, and reliable source for readers seeking a quick answer to a question about the Chinese past or about a personage or institutions, and a vehicle for further study and research on the dramatic history of this important nation."--Jacket