Table of Contents
Maps xi
Acknowledgments xiii
The Use of Pinyin xvii
Introduction 3
The Goals of This Book 5
The Model of the Dynastic Cycle 6
Archeological Sources 8
Literary Sources: The Use of Fiction 9
Artistic Sources: What Paintings Reveal 10
Structure of the Book 11
Part I Inventing China (ca. 1250 B.C.E.-200 C.E.) 17
1 The Beginnings or the Written Record (CA. 1250-771 B.C.E.) 19
Dragon Bone Soup and Early Chinese Writing 22
The Discoveries at Anyang 30
Shang Relations with Other States 38
The Zhou Conquest of the Shang 44
2 The Age of the Warrior and the Thinker: Double Ears and Confucius (770-221 B.C.E.) 57
The Commentary of Mr. Zuo and the Society It Describes 59
The World of Confucius 68
After Confucius: A World of Lively Disagreement 79
3 The Creation of Empire (221 B.C.E.-200 C.E.) 91
The Legalist State 94
The World of the Regional Rulers: The Mawangdui Finds 110
The Han Dynasty under Emperor Wu 118
Economic Problems during the Han Dynasty 122
The Restoration of the Later Han 127
The Rise of the Organized Daoist Church 133
Part II Facing West (200-1000 C.E.) 139
4 China's Religious Landscape (200-600) 141
The First Buddhists in China 143
Buddhism in Central Asia: The Example of the Kucha Kingdom 149
Contact between India and China 152
The Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) 157
Religious Life in South China 167
5 China's Golden Age (589-755) 173
How the Sui Dynasty Brought the Empire Together 174
The Fall of the Sui Dynasty and the Founding of the Tang 178
Daily Life in the Capital 184
Daily Life in Rural Areas 194
6 The an Lushan Rebellion and Its Aftermath (755-960) 201
The An Lushan Rebellion 201
The Discovery of the Library Cave at Dunhuang 222
Dunhuang in the Years after 755 226
Part III Facing North (1000-1800) 235
7 Coming to Terms with Money: The Song Dynasty (960-1276) 237
The First Commercial Revolution and Its Effects 237
The Founding of the Song 241
The New Policies: Supporters and Opponents 244
Remembering the North 256
Life under the Southern Song (1127-1276) 265
The Song Dynasty as a Model 272
8 The Northern Dynasties: Non-Chinese Rule in North China (907-1215) 275
The Kitans 276
The Rise of the Jurchen 289
Jin Rule after the 1141 Peace with the South 295
Scholarly Culture under the Jin 300
The Division of North and South 305
9 The Mongols (CA. 1200-1368) 309
The Origins of the Mongol Confederation 311
Western Visitors to the Khan's Court 317
The Mongol Conquest of South China 322
Zhao Mengfu and the Art of Heightened Expressiveness 333
The Fall of the Mongols 341
10 Continuing the War against the Mongols: The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) 345
The Ming Founder and the System He Designed 347
The Voyages of the Yongle Emperor 352
Social Change under the Ming 363
The Collapse of the Ming 379
11 The Qing Empire (1636-1800) 385
The Manchu Empire before 1644 387
The Invasion of Ming China 393
Qing Expansion beyond the Eighteen Provinces (1683-1760) 398
The Sustained Economic and Demographic Growth of the High Qing 404
The Qing Empire in 1800 417
Epilogue 419
Notes 431
Suggestions for Further Reading 445
Credits 457
Index 461