Imperial China, 1350-1900
Jonathan Porter (Author)
This clear and engaging book provides a concise overview of the Ming-Qing epoch (1368-1912). China's last imperial age. Beginning with the end of the Mongol domination of China in 1368, this five-century period was remarkable for its continuity and stability until its downfall in the Revolution of 1911. Viewing the Ming and Qing dynasties as a coherent era characterized by the fruition of diverse developments from earliest times, Jonathan Porter traces the growth of imperial autocracy, the role of the educated Confucian elite as custodians of cultural authority, the significance of ritual as the grounding of political and social order, the tension between monarchy and bureaucracy in political discourse, the evolution of Chinese cultural identity, and the perception of the "barbarian" and other views of the world beyond China. -- Back cover
History
xii, 397 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
9781442222915, 9781442222922, 1442222913, 1442222921
920818520
ebook version :
List of Illustrations PrefaceIntroduction Part I: The Classical Legacy, 1000–1350 Chapter 1 Song: The Great Divide Chapter 2 The Barbarian Ascendancy Chapter 3 The Imperial Myth: The Mandate Of Heaven Part II: The Imperial Way, 1350–1650 Chapter 4 The Rise of the Ming Chapter 5 Autocrat, Bureaucrat, Empress, Eunuch Chapter 6 The Ming and the WorldChapter 7 Luan: Disintegration of OrderPart III: The High Qing, 1650–1800Chapter 8 The Manchu RevolutionChapter 9 Style and Substance: Imperial CultureChapter 10 Imperial Absolutism: The Monarch and the MinisterPart IV: Ming and Qing Foundations, 1368–1900Chapter 11 The Good EarthChapter 12 Merchants and MarketsChapter 13 Official Life and literati CultureChapter 14 Images in the Heavens, Pattern on the EarthChapter 15 The Spiritual WorldChapter 16 The Relevance of ConfuciusPart V: When Worlds Collide, 1500–1870Chapter 17 The Empire and the GardenChapter 18 OpiumChapter 19 The Heavenly KingdomPart VI: Continuity in Change, 1870–1890Chapter 20 Self-strengthening and its FateEpilogue The Twilight of Imperial ChinaSelected Bibliography IndexAbout the Author