The Dragon and the Eagle : The Rise and Fall of the Chinese and Roman Empires

This stimulating, uniquely organized, and wonderfully readable comparison of ancient Rome and China offers provocative insights to students and general readers of world history. The book's narrative is clear, completely jargon-free, strikingly independent, and addresses the complete cycles of two world empires. It begins with the births of empire builders, the investiture of the state of Qin in 771 BCE and the foundation of the Roman Republic in 509 BCE. The stories end with the fall of northern China in 316 CE and the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, each to a multitude of barbarian peoples originating from beyond its northern frontier. In between those dates, the author systematically juxtaposes the Realpolitik of ancient Rome and China to demonstrate the parallelism explaining their respective ascents and falls. The topics explored include nation formation, state building, empire building, arts of government, strategies of superpowers, and decline and fall. A companion website ((http://www.chinaandrome.org) www.chinaandrome.org ) features illustrated comparisons of dress, housing, leisure activities, writing, and other interesting examples of the two imperial cultures. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Foreword Guide to Pronunciation of Chinese Pinyin Introduction: Mirrors from the Deep Past Part I The Roman Republic and Pre-Imperial China 1 Nation Formation 1.1 The Old World of Civilization 1.2 The Advantage of Openness to Diversity 1.3 The Mosaic of China 1.4 Zhou Cities Among Pastoralists 1.5 The Mosaic of Italy 1.6 Latin Colonies and Hill Peoples 1.7 War, Policy, and the Melting Pot 2 State Building 2.1 Blood, Iron, Ideas, and State Building 2.2 Technology and the Economy 2.3 Tradition and Social Relations 2.4 Conflict and Merger of the Orders in Rome 2.5 Backlash of Closing Imperial Frontiers 2.6 How Democratic Was the Roman Republic? 2.7 Feudalistic Parceling of Sovereignty in China 2.8 A New Elite in a Socioeconomic Revolution 2.9 The Rule by Law and the Rule by Man 2.10 From Aristocracy to Monarchy 2.11 Slavery and Freedom 3 Empire Building 3.1 The Advantage of the Periphery 3.2 Qin in a System of States 3.3 From Balance of Power to Unification 3.4 The Punic Wars 3.5 An Empire of Liberty 3.6 Wars Just and Unjust 3.7 The Warrior State and the Warring States 3.8 Wars and War Conduct 4 Winning the Peace 4.1 The Empire Strikes Back 4.2 Decline of the Roman Republic 4.3 Last Flight of the Free Eagle 4.4 The Dawn of Imperial China 4.5 Regret of the Overextended Dragon 4.6 Rupture and Continuity Part II The Roman and Early Chinese Empires 5 Courses of Empire 5.1 Pax Romana and Pax Sinica 5.2 Augustus and His Dynasty 5.3 Militarism in the Roman Peace 5.4 Roman Anarchy and Revival 5.5 United China Takes Root 5.6 Confucianism Ascending 5.7 The Han’s Descent into Anarchy 5.8 Colored Glasses of Historiography 6 Arts of Government 6.1 Imperial Characters 6.2 The Ruler and the Ruled 6.3 The Imperator and the Huangdì 6.4 The Government and the Elite 6.5 The Emperor and the Government 6.6 State and Society 6.7 The Myth of “Big Government” 6.8 Taxation and the Economy 6.9 Law and Order 7 Strategies of Superpower 7.1 Eurasian Geopolitics 7.2 China’s Loose Rein 7.3 Isolationism Ascendant 7.4 Rome’s Empire Without End 7.5 Defense Resources Strained 7.6 Imperial Grand Strategies 7.7 Hegemonic Statecraft 7.8 Frontier Defenses 8 Decline and Fall 8.1 Glorious Sunset Clouds 8.2 Barbarians and Nomads 8.3 Social Coagulation 8.4 Political Corruption 8.5 Internal Discords and Civil Wars 8.6 End of the Han Dynasty 8.7 Revenge of the Xiongnu 8.8 Coming of the Huns 8.9 The Fall of Rome 8.10 Tomorrow Never Dies Appendices Appendix 1 Mutual Perceptions of Rome and Han China Appendix 2 The Silk-Routes Commerce Appendix 3 Long Wall Building Timelines Timeline 1 China and Rome in the World Context Timeline 2 Events in China Timeline 3 Events in Rome Timeline 4 Emperors of the Qin, Han, and Jin Dynasties Timeline 5 Roman Emperors Maps Map 1 First Century Empires on a Twenty-First Century Political Map Map 2 Beginning of the Silk Routes in the First Century Map 3 Terrain of Eastern China Map 4 The Spring and Autumn Period, 722 BCE–479 BCE Map 5 Terrain of Italy and Vicinity Map 6 The Conquest of Italy, 509 BCE–218 BCE Map 7 The Warring States Period, 453 BCE–221 BCE Map 8 The Mediterranean During the Punic Wars, 264 BCE–202 BCE Map 9 The Rise and Fall of Qin, 360 BCE–209 BCE Map 10 Conquests of the Roman Republic, 264 BCE–44 BCE Map 11 The Roman Empire Map 12 The Han Dynasty Map 13 Movements of Eurasian Peoples Map 14 The Fall of the Roman Empire Map 15 The Fall of the Han Dynasty Map 16 Population Distribution of China: (a) 2 CE, (b) 280 CE Map 17 Northern China in the Early Fourth Century Map 18 Europe and North Africa in the Early Sixteenth Century Bibliography Index About the Author This Stimulating, Uniquely Organized, And Wonderfully Readable Comparison Of Ancient Rome And China Offers Provocative Insights To Students And General Readers Of World History. The Book's Narrative Is Clear, Completely Jargon-free, Strikingly Independent, And Addresses The Complete Cycles Of Two World Empires. The Topics Explored Include Nation Formation, State Building, Empire Building, Arts Of Government, Strategies Of Superpowers, And Decline And Fall. Guide To Pronunciation Of Chinese Pinyin -- Introduction : Mirrors From The Deep Past -- Pt. I. The Roman Republic And Pre-imperial China. Nation Formation ; State Building ; Empire Building ; Winning The Peace -- Pt. Ii. The Roman And Early Chinese Empires. Courses Of Empire ; Arts Of Government ; Strategies Of Superpower ; Decline And Fall -- Appendices -- Timelines -- Maps. By Sunny Y. Auyang. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 355-375) And Index.