The Eastern Zhou Wars and the Birth of Confucian and Legalist States -- from the Maritime Kingdom Atlas Series

Author: Zhao Dingxin (Author), Xia Jiangqi (Translator)
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 cover international relations during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods or their impact on historical development at the time. The book's examination of the economic foundation for the strong military capabilities of states during the Warring States period is quite weak. The book also rarely utilizes the increasingly abundant archaeological materials available today. The book gives a brief overview of Chinese history after the Han Dynasty, glossing over the significant differences between dynasties and their impact on later generations in just a few words. The book analyzes the military and political mainlines of the Warring States period using the concept of rationalization, pointing out that it was the rationalization of military that led to the rationalization of autocratic political systems, thereby laying a stable foundation for China's social structure in the following two thousand years. He proposes a universal proposition: the rationalization of military and economy brought about a dualism of high centralization and decentralization in Chinese society.