China and the West to 1600

Steven Wallech is the senior Professor of World History at Long Beach City College. He developed the world history program there, and integrated the world history curriculum with community colleges and universities throughout California. He is the author of World History: A Concise Thematic Analysis, Volumes One and Two (Wiley, 2012). He earned a Ph.D. in History from Claremont Graduate University and has been teaching at the college/university level for over 30 years.

• Acknowledgements ixPreface xiIntroduction 1Maps 4Timeline 71 The Paradox of Agriculture and its Impact on China and Western Civilization 8The Oldest Paradox 8Chinese Agriculture 13The First Chinese Dynasties 19Roman Agriculture 30Italian Agriculture 31Egypt 37The Levant and Mesopotamia 41Greece 43Overview of the Roman Economy 46Notes 492 Ancient Philosophy: Chinese versus Western 52The Chinese Quest for Stability 54Implementing Legalism: Li Si and the Qin Dynasty 65The Han Dynasty 67The Greek Worldview: Part One—the Problem 69The Greek Worldview: Part Two—the Quest for a Solution 71The Roman Worldview 79The Kosmopolite 83Christianity 84Notes 923 The Nomads 96Two Incompatible Lifestyles: Nomads versus Farmers 96The Persistent Nomadic Threat, Cannon, and China’s Three Main Issues 99The Silk Road: Revelation of a Deadly Paradox of Culture 109Loyalty, the State, and Paradise Lost 112An Era of Chaos 116The Fall of Rome 118Chinese Potential for Reunification versus Western Fragmentation 120Notes 1234 Contrasting Medieval China and Europe 126Unexpected Consequences 126Revisiting the Paradox of Agriculture 128The Sui Dynasty (581–618) 130The Tang Dynasty (618–906) and the Rejuvenation of China 133The Song (960–1279): The Golden Age Continues 140A Nomadic Interlude 145Evolution of Feudalism during the Fall of Rome 149Medieval Agriculture: The Rise of Feudalism 152The Late Middle Ages (1300–1500) 159Contrasting Systems: A Unified China versus a Fragmented Europe 164Notes 1655 China and Medieval Europe: Cultural Orthodoxy and Creativity 169The Economy, Administration, and Formation of a Chinese Orthodoxy 172Foundations of a Medieval European Orthodoxy 180A Revival of Learning: The Medieval Orthodoxy 189Conclusions 203Notes 2046 The Nomad Apogee of Power 207The Paradox of Culture Springs a Trap 207Mongol Conquest and Rule 210The Yuan Dynasty: A Century of Uneven Rule 221The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) 223The Qing: The Second Nomadic Regime to Rule China (1644–1911) 231Notes 2447 Modernization 251Germanic Europe during the Early Middle Ages 254China does not Modernize: The Pitfalls of Tradition 286Conclusion 296Notes 297Select Bibliography 301Index 309