Aims

The objective is to study the main aspects of the history of China and to see in general the development of the socio-political institutions, of the state system and of the Chinese civilisation. Seeing the importance of the influences on Japan, Korea and Vietnam ( the Sinisized World), it is indispensable that this course also shed some light on the evolution of these countries.

Main themes

The ex-cathedra course follows the chronological development of the history of China from the first human settlings to the republican revolution of the XXth century. As far as the historic part before writing is concerned, it is essential to show both the historic knowledge based on the leads of archaeological excavations and the myths and legends written in the subsequent records. The latter emphasizes the progressive adaptations of the people to it environment and the creation steps of the Chinese people. For the feudal Age and the age of the Chinese empire, it is necessary to place the evolution of the Chinese evolution in the context of the existence and absence of contacts between the Chinese people and the other people or civilizations. At the same time, the continuous aspects and the evolutionary aspects of the Chinese civilization have to be shown.

Content and teaching methods

The course will be an ex-cathedra course separated into two parts:
a) One part that follows the chronological development. Modernisation attempts since 1840 to end up with the Popular Republic of China, where the risks and unknown factirs of the political fights and arguments greatly shaped all the fields of the Chinese society.
b) The analysis of some important themes under the form of a comparative study with other Chinese societies (Tawain, Hong-Kong, Singapour or communities of overseas Chinese people): Economic development, urban and rural division, demography, education and culture and democratisation.

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