history of china

SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1 Chinese Civilization

A Review of Franz Michael . China Throughout the Ages (Westview Press , 1986

There are two ways of writing history : the first is the bad way writing history as a mere set of dates and events , the chronicle style But the second is far more interesting , and is the subject of this review : the theoretical and conceptual view of history , where events are not random , but fall into cultural patterns and might be expressed in more general terms . This book is an excellent example of the second

br view . While specialists might decry its lack of detail , its purpose is a conceptual introduction to Chinese history for the student

Hence , from the methodological point of view , this short work provides more information than thousands of pages of dry chronicles . The basic conceptual structure of the book might be expressed in a series of dyads that assist the beginner in developing a serious interest in Chinese history , or more accurately , the development of Chinese civilization

These dyads are the following : unity and dissolution , or the existence of a strong unifying power (or influence ) versus the forces of warlordism and aristocracy . The influence of the state versus the power of economic actors . Third , the rule of reason and natural law , or the rule of magic . Fourth , the constant dialectical relationship between China and the rest of the world , and lastly , the constant struggle between the ruling caste and the concept of race , or ethnicity . These dyads can...