Chinese historiography facts for kids
Chinese historiography is about how historians study and write down the amazing history of China. It's like being a detective, looking at old clues and stories to understand what happened long ago.
Contents
How Chinese History Was Recorded
The story of China began a very long time ago, even before the Shang dynasty (around 1600–1046 BC). People started writing things down on tortoise shells and bones. These writings were often about ceremonies or family names.
Later, during the Zhou dynasty, people wrote on bronze objects. These writings help us learn about that time.
Some of the oldest history books that still exist are the Book of Documents and the Spring and Autumn Annals. People believe that Confucius, a famous wise man, helped put these books together. The Zuo zhuan is another old book that tells stories from 722 to 468 BC.
The first big and organized history book was the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji). It was written by Sima Qian (around 145 or 135–86 BC) during the Han dynasty. He is often called the "father of Chinese history" because his book was so important. It covered history from the time of the Yellow Emperor all the way to Sima Qian's own life.
After Sima Qian, many other official history books were written. These books, called the Twenty-Four Histories, followed his style. When a new ruling family (dynasty) took over, they would often hire scholars to write the history of the previous dynasty.
Later, scholars like Liu Zhiji wrote about how history should be written. His book, the Shitong, explained how official history books should be structured.
Another huge history book was the Zizhi Tongjian. It was put together by Sima Guang and other scholars from 1065 to 1084 AD. This book covered Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD. It was different from Sima Qian's style because it told the story in a continuous timeline.
In more recent times, around the early 1900s, Chinese historians like Liang Qichao started looking at new ways to write history, inspired by ideas from Japan and the West. They wanted history to be more scientific. Many new historians, like Gu Jiegang and Chen Yinke, studied in universities and became experts in Chinese history. Some, like Guo Moruo, even used Marxism (a way of looking at society and history) to understand China's past.
Big Ideas in Chinese History
The Dynastic Cycle
Imagine a cycle that keeps repeating. In Chinese history, many people believed in something called the dynastic cycle. It's based on the idea of the Mandate of Heaven.
Here's how it works:
- A new ruling family (dynasty) starts, and its first leader is usually seen as very good and wise. They have the "Mandate of Heaven," meaning they have a special blessing from the sky to rule.
- Over time, the leaders of the dynasty might become less good, even corrupt.
- When this happens, bad things might occur, like natural disasters (floods!) or rebellions. This shows that the dynasty is losing the "Mandate of Heaven."
- Eventually, the dynasty becomes too weak and is replaced by a new one. The cycle then starts all over again with a new good leader.
This idea meant that historians often wrote about the first leaders of a dynasty in a very positive way, and the last leaders as bad, even if it wasn't always true.
Including Many Ethnic Groups
Traditional Chinese history often includes states ruled by different peoples, like the Mongols or Manchus, as part of China's own history. It sees them as part of one big, continuous story of China.
This idea is that China has always been a "Zhonghua minzu" or a "Chinese nation" made up of many different ethnic groups. This view is supported by both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China.
However, some people from these ethnic groups or other countries have different ideas. For example, the 14th Dalai Lama (a Tibetan leader) has sometimes said Tibet is part of China's history, but other times he has emphasized Tibet's separate past. Also, Korean nationalists have different views on the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo, which China also claims as part of its history.
Historians today are also looking at Chinese history in new ways. Some scholars are writing "revisionist histories" that focus more on the stories of minority groups and challenge the idea of a single, unified Chinese culture from the very beginning.
Marxist Views of History
In the People's Republic of China, much of the history published is based on a Marxist way of looking at history. This idea, used by scholars like Guo Moruo in the 1920s, became very important after 1949.
The Marxist view says that history moves through different stages, and that changes happen because of "class struggle" (conflicts between different groups in society). These stages are:
- Slave society
- Feudal society
- Capitalist society
- Socialist society
- A world communist society
In China, these stages were linked to different periods:
- Slave society: From the Xia dynasty to the Zhou dynasty.
- Feudal society: From the Qin dynasty to the Sui dynasty (decentralized), and then from the Tang dynasty to the First Opium War (more centralized).
- Semi-feudal and semi-capitalist society: The time of the Republic of China.
- Socialist society: From 1949 to today.
While this way of looking at history was very important in China, some historians have pointed out that China's history didn't always fit perfectly into these stages. For example, slavery was never the main way people worked in China.
After the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, historians in China had a bit more freedom to explore different ideas, though the Marxist framework still remains important.
Modernization and China
Another way to look at Chinese history is through the idea of "modernization." This view suggests that China needed to become "modern," often meaning more like Western societies.
However, many historians now criticize this view for being too "Eurocentric" (seeing Europe as the main model). They argue that China had its own ways of changing and developing.
A famous idea by historian John King Fairbank was "change within tradition." This meant that China did change a lot before modern times, but these changes happened within its own cultural traditions.
Some historians also looked at how China reacted to Europe, especially after the First Opium War. They saw this period as the start of China's modern era.
Water and Power: Hydraulic Despotism
The idea of "hydraulic despotism" suggests that in places like China, where large irrigation systems (like canals and dikes) were needed for farming, a strong, centralized government was necessary to organize these projects. This need for big water projects led to powerful, even despotic, rulers.
For example, Yu the Great, a legendary founder of China, is famous for controlling the floods of the Yellow River. This theory suggests that such control led to a stable but very controlled society.
However, critics say this theory might be too simple and doesn't fully explain the complex history of China.
Anti-Imperialism
This way of looking at history focuses on how China reacted to outside powers and imperialism (when powerful countries try to control others). It often tries to tell China's story from its own point of view, rather than from a Western perspective.
Historians like John King Fairbank and T.F. Tsiang used new information in the 1930s to write modern Chinese history from a Chinese viewpoint. Later, scholars like Paul Cohen called for an even more "China-Centered history."
Republican Era Views
Historians also have different ideas about the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which ended the last dynasty and started the Republic of China.
The Nationalist Party had its own theory of three stages for the Republic:
- Military unification (1923-1928)
- Political guidance (1928-1947)
- Constitutional democracy (from 1947 onward)
Postmodernism
More recently, some historians use "postmodern" ideas. This means they often focus on smaller, specific parts of history, like the daily lives of ordinary people in a certain place or time, instead of trying to tell one big story about all of Chinese history.
New Ways of Looking at History
From the 1940s to the 1980s, Chinese historians mostly focused on the Marxist idea of "class struggle." But since the 1980s, there's been a shift towards a more Chinese nationalist view, focusing on China's place in the world today.
Today, historians in China are very interested in the details of ancient Chinese civilization and how China has dealt with the outside world and modernization since the 1700s.
Western historians are also finding new ways to study China. They are using old government records, family papers, and economic information like tax rolls and prices. They even look at things like old novels, how-to manuals, and children's books to learn about daily life.
There's also a lot of new writing about leaders from the Nationalist period, like Chiang Kai-shek. Thanks to newly available diaries and other documents, historians are getting a more detailed picture of his leadership, especially during World War II.
Nationalism in History
In China, history writing is still very much influenced by Chinese nationalism. This means historians often focus on what makes China unique and strong.
In recent years, especially with the rise of the internet and social media, there's been a lot of interest in Chinese history in popular culture. Many people read and share historical ideas online, which helps spread nationalist views of China's past.
See also
- History of Chinese archaeology
- Timeline of Chinese history
- Dynasties of China
- Monarchy of China
- Five thousand years of Chinese civilization
- Official communications in imperial China
- Chinese industrialization
- Population history of China
- Sinology
