A History of China

A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.], by

Wolfram Eberhard This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]
Author: Wolfram Eberhard
Release Date: February 7, 2006 [EBook #17695]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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A HISTORY OF CHINA
by WOLFRAM EBERHARD of the University of California
Illustrated
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley and Los Angeles 1969

First published in U.?S.?A. by University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles California
Second printing 1955 Third printing 1956 Second edition (revised by the author and reset) 1960 Reprinted 1966 Third edition (revised and enlarged) 1969

To My Wife

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
THE EARLIEST TIMES
Chapter I
: PREHISTORY
1 Sources for the earliest history 7 2 The Peking Man 8 3 The Palaeolithic Age 8 4 The Neolithic Age 9 5 The eight principal prehistoric cultures 10 6 The Yang-shao culture 12 7 The Lung-shan culture 15 8 The first petty States in Shansi 16
Chapter II
: THE SHANG DYNASTY (c. 1600-1028 B.C.)
1 Period, origin, material culture 19 2 Writing and Religion 22 3 Transition to feudalism 24
ANTIQUITY
Chapter III
: THE CHOU DYNASTY (c. 1028-257 B.C.)
1 Cultural origin of the Chou and end of the Shang dynasty 29 2 Feudalism in the new empire 30 3 Fusion of Chou and Shang 32 4 Limitation of the imperial power 36 5 Changes in the relative strength of the feudal states 38 6 Confucius 40 7 Lao Tzu 45
Chapter IV
: THE CONTENDING STATES (481-256 B.C.):
DISSOLUTION OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM
1 Social and military changes 51 2 Economic changes 53 3 Cultural changes 57
Chapter V
: THE CHIN DYNASTY (256-207 B.C.)
1 Towards the unitary State 62 2 Centralization in every field 64 3 Frontier Defence. Internal collapse 67
THE MIDDLE AGES
Chapter VI
: THE HAN DYNASTY (206 B.C.-A.D. 220)
1 Development of the gentry-state 71 2 Situation of the Hsiung-nu empire; its relation to the Han empire. Incorporation of South China 75 3 Brief feudal reaction. Consolidation of the gentry 77 4 Turkestan policy. End of the Hsiung-nu empire 86 5 Impoverishment. Cliques. End of the Dynasty 90 6 The pseudo-socialistic dictatorship. Revolt of the "Red Eyebrows" 93 7 Reaction and Restoration: the Later Han dynasty 96 8 Hsiung-nu policy 97 9 Economic situation. Rebellion of the "Yellow Turbans". Collapse of the Han dynasty 99 10 Literature and Art 103
Chapter VII
: THE EPOCH OF THE FIRST DIVISION OF CHINA (A.D. 220-580)
(A) The three kingdoms (A.D. 220-265)
1 Social, intellectual, and economic problems during the period of the first division 107 2 Status of the two southern Kingdoms 109 3 The northern State of Wei 113
(B) The Western Chin dynasty (265-317)
1 Internal situation in the Chin empire 115 2 Effect on the frontier peoples 116 3 Struggles for the throne 119 4 Migration of Chinese 120 5 Victory of the Huns. The Hun Han dynasty (later renamed the Earlier Chao dynasty) 121
(C) The alien empires in North China, down to the Toba (A.D. 317-385)
1 The Later Chao dynasty in eastern North China (Hun; 329-352) 123 2 Earlier Yen dynasty in the north-east (proto-Mongol; 352-370), and the Earlier Ch'in dynasty in all north China (Tibetan; 351-394) 126 3 The fragmentation of north China 128 4 Sociological analysis of the two great alien empires 131 5 Sociological analysis of the petty States 132 6 Spread of Buddhism 133
(D) The Toba empire in North China (A.D. 385-550)
1 The rise of the Toba State 136 2 The Hun kingdom of the Hsia (407-431) 139 3 Rise of the Toba to a great power 139 4 Economic and social conditions 142 5 Victory and retreat of Buddhism 145
(E) Succession States of the Toba (A.D. 550-580): Northern Ch'i dynasty, Northern Chou dynasty
1 Reasons for the splitting of the Toba empire 148 2 Appearance of the (G?k) Turks 149 3 The Northern Ch'i dynasty; the Northern Chou dynasty 150
(F) The southern empires
1 Economic and social situation in the south 152 2 Struggles between cliques under the Eastern Chin dynasty (A.D. 317-419) 155 3 The Liu-Sung dynasty (A.D. 420-478) and the Southern Ch'i dynasty (A.D. 479-501) 159 4 The Liang dynasty (A.D. 502-556) 161 5 The Ch'en dynasty (A.D. 557-588) and its ending by the Sui 162 6 Cultural achievements of the south 163
Chapter VIII
: THE EMPIRES OF THE SUI AND THE T'ANG
(A) The Sui dynasty (A.D. 580-618)
1 Internal situation in the newly unified empire 166 2 Relations with Turks and with Korea 169 3 Reasons for collapse 170
(B) The Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-906)
1 Reforms and decentralization 172 2 Turkish policy 176 3 Conquest of