Continuity

and Change
in Chinese
History

Luo Guanzhong (1330-1400), famed

writer during the Ming Dynasty

What we will be studying over the next

few weeks
Overview of Chinese history prior to the
communist revolution of 1949
Maos first decades in power
The role of dissidents in China in the
1970s and 1980s
The origins and nature of events in
Tiananmen Square in June 1989
Response of the Chinese Government
under Deng Xiaoping
National and international repercussions of
suppression in the dissident movement

China today

The
PRCs
political
borders
today

Territorial
expansio
n of
China
since
1000BCE

China in ancient history

Chinas vast size has created an ongoing challenge
in creating unity amongst the Chinese people
Today, China is comprised of over 50 different ethnic
groups
A long series of dynasties have attempted to unite
and strengthen the Chinese population
The Shang Dynasty (1700-1046BCE) is the first for
which there exists written evidence
At various times throughout Chinas history,
dynasties have broken down along with the
boundaries of unified China, leaving a collection of
warring states

The legacy of Confucius

Confucius (551479 BCE)
Taught the importance of harmony,
honour and virtue
Harmony was, in part, created by
respect for others and social or
political hierarchy
Sons obey fathers, wives obey
husbands, men obey state
authority, worship ancestors
Each person knows their place in
the balance of society
Sageliness within, kingliness
without
Significant impact on Chinese and
wider Asian cultures
Suppressed after the fall of
Imperial China (1912)

Imperial China

King Ying Zheng of Qin (ruled 221-206BCE) was the first to

use the term Emperor, calling himself the First Emperor,
and building the first Great Wall
206 BC - 220 AD - Han Dynasty: Golden Age, Confucianism
as official state philosophy
618-907 - Tang Dynasty emerges and reunites China after 4oo
years of division, followed by Song Dynasty (960-1279)
1271-1368 - Mongols conquer China. Increase in
communication with Westerners. Beijing becomes capital.
1368 - Ming Dynasty overthrows Mongols and establishes
sophisticated agricultural economy, underpinning strong
centralised bureaucracy and military. Great Wall of China
completed in the form seen today

Manchu Qing Dynasty (16441912)

1644 - Manchu Qing Dynasty drives out Ming. Chinese
empire reaches its zenith, with the annexation of Tibet,
Mongolia and present-day Xinjiang
19th century brings about a loss in the strength of the
Qing Dynasty in its hold on China
Increased Western influence and power-grabs from
regional warlords, Russia and Japan
Division between those in support of trade and
associated cultural influence of Western powers (namely
Christianity) and those preferring an independent, selfsufficient and uncorrupted Chinese culture
Opium Wars (1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860) over
opium trade. Resulted in Western-favouring treaties
which limited Chinas ability to control borders, trade
and tariffs, as well as the cession of Hong Kong to the
British Empire
Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901): seeks to stifle reforms in
the Qing administration, drive out foreigners and reestablish traditional rule. Defeated by foreign
intervention, with Western powers, Russia and Japan
extracting further concessions from weakened Qing
government

Empress Dowager Cixi

(1835-1908):
reluctantly
acknowledged the

The Republic

Sun Yat-sen, an educated reformer who gained support from expat

Chinese living in the West, was a driving force for change late 19 th-early
20th C.
After years of minor revolts, a military revolt on the 10 th October ,1911
(Double Ten Day) turned into the revolution which effectively ended
imperial reign (the last emperor would officially abdicate in Feb 1912)
Sun Yat-sen was elected provisional president of the Republic of China,
replaced by Yuan Shikai (general of the Beijing Army) in March, 1912
Yuans desire for an autocratic style of government was decried by the
newly established Kuomintang (KMT), but in 1915 he established the
Empire of China (1915-16)
Seeing this as a return to pre-1911 monarchic government, Chinese
provinces revolted and began a period of political division known as the
Warlord Era (1916-28)

Reasons for the fall of the Qing

Dynasty
Rulers reluctance to make small changes (e.g.
Hundred Days Reform) resulted in increased
disenchantment amongst population, eventually
leading to revolution
By the time the need for change was acknowledged, it
was too late to prevent a coup
International presence in China and failed attempts to
resist that presence (e.g. Opium Wars and Boxer
Rebellion) had highlighted Chinas weaknesses and
weakened popular support for government
Nationalist, republican reformers recognised the need
to embrace Western technologies (particularly
weaponry, after the humiliating defeats of the 19th C)
and drew support from the Chinese military
Essentially: conflict between continuity (Qing rulers)
and change (international presence), with nationalist
reformers wishing to strike a middle ground by ridding
China of the international presence while incorporating
aspects of international technology and government
into a Chinese setting

Chinese Civil
War (19271949)
The nominally reigning Kuomintang (KMT) had had a positive relationship with the
Communist Party of China (CPC or CCP), which was still in its infancy during the Sun Yat-sen
era
With Sun Yat-sens death in 1925, Chiang Kai-shek emerged as leader of the KMT. He was
ideologically opposed to communism and broke ties with the CCP, who were gaining power
and influence across rural China
The two parties had joined forces in the mid-20s in order to reunify China and end the
warlord era
The CCP had the support of the Soviet Union and by the 1930s was actively pursuing control
over China, while the KMT had the support of the staunchly anti-communist USA
The KMT and CCP joined forces once again after the invasion of the Japanese in 1937, until
Japans defeat in 1945, setting aside national disputes in order to defeat an international
enemy
From 1946-49, the civil war regained momentum, with the Soviet Union continuing to
support the CCP who achieved a communist revolution under Mao Zedong in 1949
Mao became the first president of the Peoples Republic of China, with Republic of China
being confined to the region commonly known as Taiwan
This marked the beginning of the communist era of China. The Communist Party of China
remains in power today