100 Events That Affected China

Author: Zhang Xiuping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The "China 100 Series" is a unique read different from general historical works. It takes the figures, events, wars, works, and cultures in Chinese history as threads, narrating 100 individuals who contributed to the development of invention, academia, culture, and Sino-foreign relations in the process of Chinese history; 100 events that occurred during the transitions of various dynasties, disputes among academic schools, sectarian struggles in religious history, and major historical turning points; 100 wars fought for unity, justice, hegemony, or power; 100 classic works that meticulously and systematically record China's millennia of scientific and cultural history; and 100 brilliant academic, literary, folk, and material cultures that stand tall among the world's civilizations. Throughout the long course of Chinese history, our ancestors have created countless cultural treasures, directed numerous grand historical dramas, witnessed countless earth-shaking events, emerged countless creative and diverse figures, and left behind vast and invaluable historical and cultural works. The selection of figures, events, wars, works, and cultures in this "Series" is limited to "100," merely indicating their special roles and influences in the development of Chinese history. Although this limited "100-item" series is but a drop in the ocean compared to the infinite reality of Chinese history, it represents a new pursuit and attempt to introduce knowledge of Chinese history. Through it, readers can understand the wisdom and charm of influential political leaders, thinkers, writers, military strategists, and diplomats in Chinese history; uncover the truth and behind-the-scenes of complex historical events; and grasp the essence of fierce wars and the formation of spiritual and cultural history. "At the peak of writing, there is no room for tricks," summarizing thousands of years of Chinese history through five major themes—people, events, wars, works, and culture—is both concise and to the point, catering to contemporary readers' interests in reading and history. This is the very purpose of the "China 100 Series."
War is the most famous event of bloodshed; works are the carriers of cultural treasures. In The 100 Most Influential Events in Chinese History, there are not only famous events like the overthrow of the Xia Dynasty by Shang, the division of Jin among the three states, the Chu-Han contention, the establishment of the Three Kingdoms, the reunification of the Western Jin, the unification of northern China by the Northern Wei, the reunification of the north and south by Emperor Wen of Sui, the coup at Chenqiao, and the Jingkang Incident during the transitions of feudal dynasties but also disputes among academic schools such as the Hundred Schools of Thought, the suppression of Confucianism, the exclusive promotion of Confucianism, and the White Tiger Pavilion Conference. There are also sectarian disputes in religious history like the burning of books and burying scholars, the suppression of Buddhism by Cao Cao, the debate over the immortality of the soul, and the controversy over the annihilation of the soul; as well as political and economic reforms such as Shang Yang's reforms, the Salt and Iron Conference, Emperor Wen of Sui's reforms, the Yongzhen Reforms, Wang Anshi's reforms, Zhang Juzheng's reforms, and the Self-Strengthening Movement. There are struggles between progress and conservatism such as Wang Mang's reforms, the Qinding New Policies and factional struggles, Yuan Shikai's restoration of monarchy, the Wuchu Rebellion, the Eight Princes' Rebellion, the An-Shi Rebellion, and the regional autonomy during the Tang Dynasty; as well as struggles between unification and division such as Qin Shi Huang's unification of China, Genghis Khan's unification of Mongolia, Emperor Kangxi's suppression of regional autonomy and the suppression of the Three Feudatories Rebellion. There are also grand peasant movements like the uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the great uprisings of various ethnic groups under the Northern Wei, the peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Huangchao Rebellion, and the Xiangbo-Li Shun Rebellion; as well as anti-oppression and anti-invasion struggles like Emperor Wu of Han's resistance to the Xiongnu, Yue Fei's resistance to the Jin, Qi Jiguang's resistance to Japanese pirates, Emperor Kangxi's resistance to the Russians, and the anti-British struggle of the people of San'yuanli. These major historical events either established new dynasties and unified the empire, overthrew old systems and liberated productive forces, resisted foreign invasion and ethnic oppression, or carried out political reforms and improvements, and so on. Some are moving and inspiring, while others are complex and thought-provoking. Today's China is the development of historical China. From these major historical events, we can draw lessons and gain insights.