Andrew Morris

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Presentation on Chinese History

• Andrew Morris
• History Department
• 3 November 2006

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• This is Shanghai, a big city on Chinese
  soil.How dare you call us Communist
  China.Communist China has become history.Such a
  term no longer exists. PRC Foreign Minister
  Tang Jiaxuan,to Taiwanese reporter,2001 APEC
  Meeting, Shanghai

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The Slumbering Red Giant?

• Western obsession/ fantasy that China has to
  catch up to superior West
• Chinese certainty that the Middle Kingdoms 2000
  years of economic/ cultural/political superiority
  is more historically authentic than USAs 60
  years as 1

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• Foreign languages and Shakespeare will be taught
  at Cal Poly over my dead body. unnamed Cal
  Poly President, 1960s

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The Grand Canal

• Built 7th century (Sui Dynasty), 1200 miles long
• A wonder of the world to Europeans 1000 years
  later

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The Cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty Changan

• Cosmopolitan city of 1 million world center of
  politics, culture, learning
• Multiethnic cities capital, Guangzhou

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• Influenced by Central Asia
• Influence spreading all over Eurasia
• (1000 years later, the biggest European cities
  have population of 100,000)

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Example Religious Diversity

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• Historical
• Implication
• Linguistic
• Diversity

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Modern China andthe Song Dynasty (960-1279)

• Problematize notion that modern Western
• Emergence and growth of middle classes social
  mobility
• Merchant power chambers of commerce, foreign sea
  trade
• Emergence of industry
• Money economy (incl. paper money)
• Expansion of exam system
• Social legislation by state and Buddhists

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• Invention of paper money 700 years before it
  appears in Europe in late 17th c.
• National credit market
• Yearly trade in capital Kaifeng, 11th c. 50
  more than London trade 18th c.
• 11th c. industry not matched by any European
  state until the 18th century

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Military Technology

• (At right) Composite crossbow from Song some
  are mounted and operated by 100 men
• By the 2nd century BCE the Han Dynasty had
  fashioned long-range repeater crossbows with
  trigger mechanisms on rotating bases

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Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

• The Yongle Emperor, Beijing and the return of the
  Middle Kingdom

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Zheng He (??, 1371-1433)Muslim, eunuch, admiral

(Ma Sanbao, Hajji Mahmud)
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Zheng Hes Ming Armada

• Treasure Ships
• 440 feet in length, 2500 tons capacity

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Zheng Hes Ming Armada

• Seven voyages 1405-1433
• First fleet 317 ships, including 62 in Treasure
  Ship class
• Smaller ships range down to 200 feet
• (Spanish Armada 1588 has 137 ships,7 of 1000 ton
  burden)
• Manufacture causes great deforestation up Yangzi
  Valley

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The Tributary System

• Recognition of Middle Kingdom TRADE!

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• 1960s Maoist version of the Middle Kingdom
• (2000s- Global capitalist version )

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Power of the High Qing(late 17th early 19th c.)

• Everything which the people need for their
  well-being and sustenance, whether it be for food
  or clothing or even delicacies and superfluities,
  is abundantly produced within the borders of the
  kingdom and not imported from foreign climes.-
  17th-century European assessment of Chinese
  wealth and self-sufficiency

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The Opium War

• Resulting hostility towards West, not
  foreigners
• Feng Guifen - There is only one thing to learn
  from the barbarians, and that is strong ships and
  effective guns.

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The Rise of Market-Leninism
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• Mao offers you enterprise management tips you
  cant get from any other business studies,
  especially Western ones. China Business (2003)
• Acclaim from the leader is a
• great source of affirmation and
• identification for the lower levels.
• Mao Zedong Teaches us About
• Personnel Matters (2003)
• The books can help enable someone seeking
  self-improvement to learn from a person who has
  already notched up such great success. Central
  Party History Publishing House, 2003

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Cui Jian

• The Elvis, Beatles,
• Dylan, Springsteen
• and Cobain of China

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• The red flags still aflutter
• But theres no fixed direction
• The revolution still continues
• The old men have still more power
•  
• Money flutters in the air
• We have no ideals
• Although the air is clear
• We cant see any further
• My stomach is full now
• My brain is clear now too
• But dont say this is a great favor
• It can never be repaid
• We are no longer pawns in a chess game
• Following lines drawn by others
• We try standing up ourselves
• Get moving and take a look at everything

Eggs Under the Red Flag
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The Two Wangs, April 2001
Wang Wei,pilot of downed fighter jet that
collided with EP-3 spy plane
Wang Zhizhi,Chinas first NBA player
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Zheng He, Part 2Mythology, Nationalism(and
Profit)
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The Workshop of the World

• Manufactures two thirds of the worlds copiers,
  microwave ovens, DVD players and shoes
• Worlds largest producer of coal, steel, cement
• 2nd largest consumer of energy
• 3rd largest importer of oil
• Exports to US have grown by 1,600 percent over
  the past 15 years
• 2004 exported 18 billion worth of goods to
  Wal-Mart (China has 5,000 of Wal-Marts 6,000
  suppliers)
• Intel Science and Engineering Fair,
  2004Americans participating 65,000Chinese
  participating 6 million

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The Great Mall of China

1 billion souls to save 2 billion armpits to
deodorize
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Profit Democracy?Or Profit vs. Democracy?

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Justifications?

• Our continued engagement with China is the best
  (and perhaps only) way for Google to help bring
  the tremendous benefits of universal access to
  all our users there. Google, 2006
• One could walk away. But that would also be
  turning our back on the problem. Microsoft,
  2006

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Opinions / Spin

• "Perhaps we have to look again at our presence
  there. We have to decide if the persecuting of
  bloggers reaches a point that it's unacceptable
  to do business there. We try to define those
  levels and the trends are not good there at the
  moment." - Microsoft Senior Policy Counsel Fred
  Tipson, 2 November 2006
• Anriette Esterhuysen, Executive Director of
  Association for Progressive Communications
  Corporations should not be made responsible for
  securing freedoms. Instead, government should
  enforce ethical policies on companies who do
  business with foreign governments.

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Taiwan The Renegade Province

• Facing 700 nuclear-tipped PRC missiles
• 2006 PRC military budget increased by 14.7 (to
  US35.3 billion) - because of efforts of
  Taiwanese independence secessionist forces

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Whats at stake with Taiwan?

• (Recent panda politics)
• PRCs historical supremacy legacy
• Domino effect Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia
• Japanese, US influence

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BRAIN FAILURE "Listen To My Back"That's what i
know i'm eating a hotpot listen to the people
behind talking talking five brothers on a table
one guy says he has another brother been five
years in jail and two years junk he's clean now
but what he gonna do all he knows is he wants
some money he wants some money yeah that's what i
knowi'm eating a hotpot listen to the people
behind talking talking its my kind of
favoritejust like you love to watch the peepshow
yeah maybe in a 1920 Buick maybe in the 90s fast
food maybe in the KFC 2nd av. 14th st. that's
what i feeli'm eating a hotpot listen to the
people behind talking talking five brothers on a
table one guy says he has another brother they
maybe all fucking gangs they maybe all fucking
cops i don't know if this place is safe west shop
300 lets go go go that's what i feel that's what
i know!
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The 21st Century asThe Chinese Century?

Ted Fishman, 2005
Sun Yat-sen, 1912
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