East Zhou War and the Birth of the Confucian State

Author: Zhao Dingxin, translated by Xia Jiangqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The origin of this book stems from an article that was never intended to be published, or rather, a draft for a book, which inevitably leads to some shortcomings. For example, the theories in the book are not fully developed, and the definitions of many concepts are not precise enough. Since the initial intention was not to publish, the citations of many materials and viewpoints in the book are rather rough, and the research and analysis also need strengthening. The book basically does not address the international relations of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and their impact on historical development at that time. The book's examination of the economic foundations of the strong military capabilities of various states during the Warring States period is quite weak. The book has rarely utilized the increasingly abundant archaeological materials. The book gives a brief overview of Chinese history after the Han Dynasty, and the significant differences between various dynasties and their impact on later generations are dismissed in just a few words. The book analyzes the main themes of military and political rationalization during the Warring States period, pointing out that it was precisely the rationalization of military that led to the rationalization of autocratic political systems, thereby laying a stable foundation for China's social structure for the following two thousand years. He proposes a universal proposition: the rationalization of military and economic systems brings a dualism of high centralization and decentralization to Chinese society.