#002 Thinking about China in History

Chinese dynasties song

• Practice singing together to tune of “Frère Jacques”:
  • Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han,
    Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han,
    Sui, Tang, Song,
    Sui, Tang, Song,
    Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic,
    Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic,
    Mao Zedong
    Mao Zedong.

This song raises couple of notes on pronunciation that will be helpful throughout the course:

• In Chinese, vowels are always long (e.g. Shahng and Tahng).
• Pinyin, the system of romanization used in China and many other parts of the Chinese-speaking world, utilizes a few special characters. An in-depth look at the pronunciation can be found here (external link), with a basic guide below:
  • “Q,” pronounced as “ch” in “check”(e.g. Qin and Qing as “Chin” and “Ching,” respectively),
  • “Zh” is pronounced roughly like “j” (e.g. Zhou as “Joe”),
  • “X” is pronounced roughly like “sh” in “she” (e.g. Xia as “Shah”), and
  • “C” is pronounced as “ts” as in “cats” (e.g. Cao as “Ts-ow”).

Analyze the song:

• This is called the “dynasty song.” What is a “dynasty”? Are all the terms in the song considered dynasties?
• View this animation (GIF) and look back at the song. How does this animation compare to the song?
• How is this method of organizing history similar to—and different from—the way you have organized historical chronology in other contexts?

Charting dynasties (added after class):

​Discussion on Bol

• Begin by reviewing the discussion questions (copied below) and your notes.
  • What does it mean to suggest that China—either in “traditional” times or today—is/was “unchanging”? What, in turn, are some reasons Peter Bol raises for doubting this assumption?​
  • Bol references Max Weber's ideas presented in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905) and The Religion of China (1915) to warn against establishing “false dichotomies” between East and West. What, in Bol’s view, is wrong with Weber? Identify one or two alternatives he proposes for making more productive comparisons.
  • Bol endorses Yu Yingshi’s (余英時) argument that “The concept of ‘national history’ in its current Western usage was wholly unfamiliar to Chinese historians before the 20th century.” What is the larger point he is making about the Chinese nation? Why might this argument be uncomfortable or even offensive to some readers?
  • How can ethnicity (productively) complicate our understanding of China’s past?

Homework: Assignment #003