duPont Library: Asian Studies: China

China

China: Topic Page
The most populous country in the world, China has a 4,000-mi (6,400-km) coast that fronts on the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.
Chinese: Topic Page
Subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages (see Sino-Tibetan languages), which is also sometimes grouped with the Tai, or Thai, languages in a Sinitic subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan language stock.
Mongol: Topic Page
Member of any of the various Mongol (or Mongolian) ethnic groups of central Asia. Mongols live in Mongolia, Russia, Inner Mongolia (China), Tibet, and Nepal.

Chinese Dynasties

Xia Dynasty
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Quasi-legendary first dynasty of China, preceding the Shang.
Shang Dunasty
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Or Yin, dynasty of China, which ruled, according to traditional dates, from c.1766 B.C. to c.1122 B.C. or, according to some modern scholars, from c.1523 B.C. to c.1027 B.C.
Zhou Dynasty
From Andromeda Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History
Ruling dynasty of China (1122-256 BC) established by King Wu, who overthrew the last of the Shang kings, Di-Xin. Wu justified his usurpation by claiming the “Mandate of Heaven”...
Qin Dynasty
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(221-207 BC) Dynasty that established the first great Chinese empire.
Han Dynasty
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(hän), dynasty of China that ruled from 202 B.C. to A.D. 220. Liu Pang, the first Han emperor, had been a farmer, minor village official, and guerrilla fighter under the Ch'in dynasty.
Three Kingdoms
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Period of Chinese history from 220 to 265, after the collapse of the Han dynasty.
Sui Dynasty
From Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations
Following the North-South Disunion (220-589), China was reunited by a Xianbei aristocrat from north China, Yan Jian (Wendi), founder of the Sui dynasty.
T'ang Dynasty
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907. It was founded by Li Yuan and his son Li Shih-min, with the aid of Turkish allies.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Period of Chinese history between the fall of the T'ang dynasty (A.D. 907) and the establishment of the Sung dynasty (A.D. 960).
Sung Dynasty: Topic Page
Dynasty of China that ruled 960–1279. It was divided into two periods: Northern Sung (907–1126) with its capital at Kaifeng and Southern Sung (1127–1279) with its capital at Hangzhou.
Yüan Dynasty: Topic Page
Mongol dynasty of China that ruled from 1271 to 1368. It was a division of the great empire conquered by the Mongols. Kublai Khan, who adopted the Chinese dynastic name Yüan in 1271, swept down from N China, which the Mongols had ruled since the 1230s, and finally defeated the Sung dynasty in 1279.
Ming Dynasty: Topic Page
The first Ming emperor, Chu Yüan-chang (ruled 1368–98), a former Buddhist monk, joined a rebellion in progress, gained control of it, overthrew the Mongol Yüan dynasty, and unified all of China proper.
Qing Dynasty: Topic Page
(1644–1912) The last imperial Chinese dynasty. Originating from the Tungusic tribes to the NE, and the Jin dynasty which ruled the N in the Song period (12th–13th Century), they took the appellation Manchu in 1635, and the dynastic title Qing in 1636. The dynasty was overthrown by revolutionaries in 1911, a revolutionary government was established, and the last emperor abdicated in 1912.

People

Sun Yat-sen: Topic Page
Mandarin Sun Wen, 1866–1925, Chinese revolutionary. He was born near Guangzhou into a farm-owning family.
Chiang Kai-Shek: Topic Page
1887–1975, Chinese Nationalist leader. He was also called Chiang Chung-cheng.
Mao Zedong: Topic Page
Chinese statesman, founder and chairman (1949-76) of the People's Republic of China. Mao was a founder member of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.

Holidays

Chinese New Year: Topic Page
The Lunar New Year has certain variations from country to country, but they all include offerings to the household god(s), housecleaning and new clothes, a large banquet, ancestor worship, and firecrackers.

Political Thought

Socialism: Topic Page
General term for the political and economic theory that advocates a system of collective or government ownership and management of the means of production of goods.
Empire: Topic Page
Collective name for a group of countries under the control of a single country or dynasty.
Democracy: Topic Page
Term originating in ancient Greece to designate a government where the people share in directing the activities of the state, as distinct from governments controlled by a single class, select group, or autocrat.
Communism: Topic Page
Fundamentally, a system of social organization in which property (especially real property and the means of production) is held in common.
Capitalism: Topic Page
Economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, in which personal profit can be acquired through investment of capital and employment of labor.

Art

Chinese Architecture: Topic Page
The buildings and other structures created in China from prehistoric times to the present day.
Great Wall of China: Topic Page
Fortifications, c.1,500 mi (2,400 km) long, winding across N China from Gansu prov. to Hebei prov. on the Yellow Sea.

Imperialism and Occupation

Imperialism: Topic Page
Broadly, the extension of rule or influence by one government, nation, or society over another.
Opium: Topic Page
Substance derived by collecting and drying the milky juice in the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum.
Great Britain: Topic Page
Officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, constitutional monarchy.
Portugal: Topic Page
Country in southwestern Europe, on the Atlantic Ocean, bounded north and east by Spain.
The Dutch Republic: Topic Page
Name given to the United Provinces, a federation of states in the northern Netherlands 1579-1795.
Germany: Topic Page
Located in the center of Europe, it borders the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France on the west; Switzerland and Austria on the south; the Czech Republic and Poland on the east.
France: Topic Page
Officially French Republic, republic (2005 est. pop. 60,656,000), 211,207 sq mi (547,026 sq km), W Europe....
Japan: Topic Page
The divine design of the empire—supposedly founded in 660 B.C. by the emperor Jimmu, a lineal descendant of the sun goddess and ancestor of the present emperor—was held as official dogma until 1945.
United States: Topic Page
Federal republic, North America; Lower 48 bounded on N by Canada, on E by the Atlantic Ocean, on S by Mexico and Gulf of Mexico, and on W by the Pacific Ocean.

Revolution

Chinese Revolutions: Topic Page
Series of great political upheavals in China between 1911 and 1949 which eventually led to Communist Party rule and the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Post-WWII

Great Leap Forward
From Philip's Encyclopedia
Five-year economic plan begun by Mao Zedong in China in 1958. It aimed to double industrial production and boost agricultural output in record time. The plan mobilized tens of millions of workers. Collective farms merged into communes, but a succession of poor harvests dashed progress. After four years, the government admitted the failure of the plan.
The Cultural Revolution
From Philip's Encyclopedia
(1966-76) The "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" was initiated by Mao Zedong and his wife, Jiang Qing, to purge the Chinese Communist Party of his opponents and instil 'correct' revolutionary attitudes after dissent over the failure of the Great Leap Forward. By 1968, China was approaching civil war and the Cultural Revolution transformed into a struggle for the succession to Mao.
Agrarian reform
From The Columbia Encyclopedia redistribution of the agricultural resources of a country. Traditionally, agrarian, or land, reform is confined to the redistribution of land; in a broader sense it includes related changes in agricultural institutions, including credit, taxation, rents, and cooperatives.
Welfare State: Topic Page
Political system under which the state (rather than the individual or the private sector) has responsibility for the welfare of its citizens.
Decolonization: Topic Page
Gradual achievement of independence by former colonies of the European imperial powers, which began after World War I.
Social Welfare: Topic Page
Or public charity, organized provision of educational, cultural, medical, and financial assistance to the needy.

Road to Communism

Treaty of Versailles: Topic Page
World War I ended in November 1918. At the beginning of 1919 the victorious allies met at the French Palace of Versailles, near Paris. Their aim was to decide how to treat the defeated enemy (Germany) and to redraw the map of Europe.
Fourteen Points: Topic Page
Formulation of a peace program, presented at the end of World War I by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in an address before both houses of Congress on Jan. 8, 1918.
Feudalism: Topic Page
Form of political and social organization typical of Western Europe from the dissolution of Charlemagne's empire to the rise of the absolute monarchies.
Feminism: Topic Page
The concept of feminism is not universal and has many forms (e.g., liberal, radical, womanism) and definitions. However, there are three characteristics that are shared by most, if not all, forms of feminism. First is the recognition that women are treated differently than men, and are in the subordinate role in society
Famine: Topic Page
Severe shortage of food affecting a large number of people.

War

Opium Wars: Topic Page
Two wars, the First Opium War (1839-42) and the Second Opium War (1856-60), waged by Britain against China to enforce the opening of Chinese ports to trade in opium.
World War I: Topic Page
War between the Central European Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and allies) on one side and the Triple Entente (Britain and the British Empire, France, and Russia) and their allies, including the USA.
World War II: Topic Page
War between Germany, Italy, and Japan (the Axis powers) on one side, and Britain, the Commonwealth, France, the USA, the USSR, and China (the Allies) on the other.

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Jessie Ball duPont Library

Asian Studies

Subject Guide

China

Chinese Dynasties

People

Holidays

Political Thought

Art

Imperialism and Occupation

Revolution

Post-WWII

Road to Communism

War