China has one of the longest continuous civilizations, with dynasties dating back over 5,000 years. Some key dynasties included the Qin which first unified China in 221 BC, the Han which expanded China's territory, and the Tang and Song which were economic and cultural golden ages. The Yuan and Qing dynasties saw periods of foreign Mongol and Manchu rule. While China was once the world's largest economy, the industrial revolution caused a great divergence between Western countries and China until economic reforms in the late 20th century began a period of great convergence.

1. The rise and fall of Chinese civilisation
The Emergence of China in the 21st Century — Session two
Luis Torras (@TorrasLuis)

2. – Francis Bacon (1561-1616)
“Many of the great inventions for Europe’s rebirth had their
origins in China.”
2

3. – Goethe (1749-1832)
“[…] the millennial Chinese culture interiorised certain
fundamental ideas such as rationalism or the principles for a
stable government long before Europe.”
3

4. China is longest living civilisation on Earth with
more than 5000 years of history
Modern world civilisations according to Huntington
4
Source: Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilisations (1996).

5. Overview to Chinese civilisation though history
Source: Maddison; IMF.
26.1%
29.1%
32.9%
17.2%
9.0%
4.5% 4.6%
11.5%
17.0%
0 1600 1820 1870 1913 1950 1973 1998 2005
26%
PopulationGDP
2010$
29%
37%
28%
24%
22%
21%
21%
22%
“Great$Divergence”$
Industrial$Revolu9on$in$
Europe$
Deng$Xiaoping’s$
Economic$Reform$
Western$dominance$ New$stage$
5
Share of Chinese population and GDP from total (0-2010)

6. 6
• No other system of government on earth ruled for so long over so many people as the empire
of China (from 221 BC to 1911, over two millennia).
• The Empire governed a domain the size of a continent, which grew to a 3.7 million square miles
at its peak with hundreds of million of inhabitants.
• The mythical Chinese dragon, standing for power, became symbol of the Empire, depicted in
imperial yellow with five claws on each foot.
• Unlike European empires, the dynasties of China ruled over a single landmass. Their fleets
might roam the oceans and the might accept tribute from other asian states (Korea, Japan,
Birmania, and others), but the conquest led them only to territories adjoining the Middle Kingdom.
• Over the course of two millennia the empire saw an enormous rise in its population: the
number of its subjects doubles from 60 million in AD 200 to 120 in 1000, an rose more or less
steadily to 500 million by 1900.
• The empire was numerically dominated by Chinese Han, although it was populated with 100 or
more minorities: two dynasties, the Yuan and the Qing, came from beyond the Great Wall.
• Confucianism was the bedrock of the imperial system, although Buddhism and Taoism were
also widely adopted and other creeds and belief systems abounded.
• The theory of the Mandate of Heaven promised that the benevolent father of the people who
looked after the masses in proper fashion could sure reign but, when self-interest prevail (eg. ruler
led armies to disastrous wars), the Mandate would be withdrawn.
Imperial China: some key facts (1/2)
Source: J. Fenby, The Dragon Throne (2015).

7. 7
• A class of Mandarin officials - many chosen by examination - served the throne, overseeing
the administration of the realm both at the center and in the provinces.
• Imperial China produced a vast array of inventions a few of which were paralleled elsewhere:
paper (and thus paper money), writing, steel and the blast furnace, woodblock printing, the horse
collar, the compass, scissors, the abacus, gunpowder, fireworks or porcelain.
• One of the greatest questions of history is why the Chinese fell behind the West in
manufacturing (Industrial Revolution) in the late imperial times (18th and 19th century). There are
many answers to this question.
• Imperial China remained a predominantly agricultural and rural society until it eventually
collapse in 1912, male-dominated and focused on the paternally led family and linage. Trade and
industry were ranked at the bottom of Confucian scale; the middle class was tiny and largely
depended on official favour.
• What mattered above all was the mystical idea of an empire handed down form heaven, placed at
the center of the world, should live on.
• The dynastic cycle of rise and fall is still present in modern China today: to understand the
past of China is key to comprehend today’s People’s Republic of China.
Imperial China: some key facts (2/2)
Source: J. Fenby, The Dragon Throne (2015).

8. Dynasty Time-line Main emperors Comments
Qin 221 - 207 BC
Qin Shi Huangdi
(260 - 210 BC)
• First true emperor of China; he adopted the first system of effective governance
based on Confucianism and legalism principles
• Li Si, was the ‘first mandarin’ that help to design & implemented the first power
centralisation in China
• Forced labour was used on mass scale for first time to expand agriculture & to
built infrastructures (eg the Great Wall)
• Capital was move to Xianyang (near present day Xi’an)
Western Han 206 BC - 9
Gaodi (Liu Bang)
Wendi (Liu Heng)
Wudi
• The Han was the longest-lived Chinese dynasty (split in two periods) having 24
emperors. The first of this emperor’s was Liu Bang
• Han introduced a legalistic system called Han Confucianism understanding the
importance of the past (like the late Zhou)
• Economic development allowed taxes to be cut and farmers were given financial
incentives to encourage output. Imperial spending was reduced
• Han had contact even with the Roman Empire in the times of Wudi
• Capital ws moved to Chang’an (‘Perpetual peace’) may well be the biggest city in
the world iof its time
Eastern Han 25 - 220
Guang Wudi (Liu
Xiu)
Mingdi
Hedi
• Capital was move from Chang’an to Luoyang (in the East), in the home region of
Liu Xiu (first emperor of the Eastern Han)
• Major task was reconstruction the empire (as always one a new dynasties came
to power). Moreover, population levels has fallen: from 57 million in AD140 to 48
• Confucianism gain force and education was reinforced and trade through the Silk
Road flourished
• Rivalry between mandarin and eunuchs increased
Source: J. Fenby, The Dragon Throne (2015). Inter-reigns, the Three Kingdoms period (220 - 280) & the Period of Disunion (265 - 581) not included.
Time-line of main Chinese dynasties after the Warring
States period (480 - 221 BC) (1/4)
8

9. Time-line of main Chinese dynasties after the Warring
States period (480 - 221 BC) (2/4)
Name Period Main emperors Comments
Sui 581 - 618 Wendi (Yang Jian)
• Although their rule lasted than 40 years their reputation was assailed by the
successors, the three Sui rulers re-established the basis for a national empire
• Wendi emperor, the first of Sui rulers, was prominent militar and aristocrat than re-
unite the realm
Tang 618 - 908
Wudi (Li Yuan)
Gaozu
Taizong
Wu Zetian
Xuanzong
• Tang dynasty ushered as the first major golden age of Chinese history. Once the
new regime was consolidated, it embarked on a programe of expansion that
reached Korea and deep into Asia
• Tang China was considered the greatest political & military power on earth and
provided a model for govern and culture that was widely copied in East Asia
• It was an aristocratic realm, but strong official class also emerged (mandarins)
• The dynasty sought to impose uniform and centralised power and control. Land
holding were reorganized and a new legal code was introduced
• Porcelain became a Chinese speciality and Buddhism grew in strength
• Chang’an (near present Xi’an) was the capital and became the greatest walled
city ever know
Northern Song 960 - 1126
Taizu
Taizong
Renzong
Zhezong
Huizong
• The Song dynasty has been portrayed as a weak house notable mainly for
presiding over achievements in philosophy and arts
• The Song saw a reduction in the area under imperial control, accepting terms to
buy peace from the north and the west: even so, the Song claim to govern almost
1.5 million square miles & 100 million people. It was a period of intense diplomacy
• Agricultural output grew, including the cultivation of tea, and textile production
expanded in small but also medium enterprises with more than 100 employees
• Urbanization was one of the major features of the Song period. Trade expanded
rapidly and a monetary economy took root. Civilian life & reason gain importance
• The end of the dynasty was due to the rise of Genghis Khan (1162 - 1227) and
Kublai Khan (1215 - 1294)
• Keifeng became the capital, and vermilion became the imperial colour
Source: J. Fenby, The Dragon Throne (2015). Inter-reigns and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period not included.
9

10. Dynasty Time-line Main emperors Comments
Southern Song 1127 - 1279
Huizong
Xiaozong
Ningzong
Lizong
Hangzhou
• Hangzhou will become the temporary capital of the new
dynasty reaching 1.5 million habitants. Marco Polo (1254 -
1324) was highly impress by the city which claimed to be
the richest on earth
• Trade and commercial activity flourished in the southern
ports
• The Song focused on developing what it had and culture
flourished
• In 1276, Hangzhou (the last of the Song emperors) fell to
the Mongol forces
Yuan
(Mongols)
1279 - 1368 Kublai Khan
• The Mongols who founded the Yuan Dynasty in 1279 were
archetypal people of the northern steppes
• The Dynasty mix mongols and Chinese elements (mainly
Chinese)
• The new dynasty develop new infrastructures and restored
and extended the Grand Canal liking north to south
• It was the period of the Marco Polo travels; contacts with
Europe were made and the Empire became more
decentralised & respectful for local manner & beliefs
• It was mainly a one-emperor dynasty (after Kublai Khan the
dynasty never again found its feet)
• Famine, corruption and ethnic tension characterised the
dying years of the dynasty: not just the Yuan but China it
self was in risk to collapse at the very end
Source: J. Fenby, The Dragon Throne (2015).
Time-line of main Chinese dynasties after the Warring
States period (480 - 221 BC) (3/4)
10

11. Dynasty Time-line Main emperors Comments
Ming 1368 - 1644
Zhu Yuanzhang
Yongle
Hongxi
Xuande
Hongzhi
Zhengde
Wanli
• China prosper under the early Ming: population increased,
literacy increased
• The Great Wall was strengthened and expanded
• The capital Nanjing & later moved to Beijing in 1404-20
and Forbidden City, Summer Palace to the Temple of
Heaven were built
• Confucianism and Taoism gain influence and help to built
an stable society
• Civil service was re-introduced & officials gain importance
(eunuchs and mandarins dispute to influence the Emperor)
• Economy revived while taxation was rationalized
• In the late-Ming, dynasty was dominated by factionalism &
corruption
Qing
(Manchus)
1644 - 1912
Dorgon
Shunzhi
Kagxi
Yongzheng
Qianlong
Puyi
• Qing dynasty was founded in 1636 in the Northeast part of
China by Abahai. Later the Manchus (peasant rebels) rode
south and took Beijing
• At the heigh of its rule, the Empire may have accounted for
one-third of the world’s wealth
• Manchus rulers forged a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic
realm that reach its zenith before declining
• In the early years, Manchus were open even to a western
influence and Jesuits such as Matteo Ricci could built
bridges between East and West
• The dynasty ended in a long fight for survival agains mass
revolts, humiliations by Western powers and Japan and,
finally, the abdication of the last emperor Puyi
Source: J. Fenby, The Dragon Throne (2015).
Time-line of main Chinese dynasties after the Warring
States period (480 - 221 BC) (4/4)
11

12. Chinese main dynasties
12

13. Chinese supremacy: Imperial China
13

14. Qin Shi Huangdi (秦始皇帝), China’s first emperor (220 BC – 210
BC), Qin
The First Emperor, earned a reputation for brutality and political intolerance (same as modern leaders of China like Mao Zedong).
His legacy, however, was the creation of a song administration and a unified realm. The Qin (pronounced ‘Chin’), would give the
nation its name.

15. Empress Wu Zetian, Tang dynasty, was China’s first and only
female emperor
Empress Wu ruled the country from 690 - 705. She has, perhaps, suffered an unfair press from her later chroniclers. She was
certainly a progressive figure who advance the cause of women’s rights. Some historians make a distinction of the Wu Zetian era
and consider her as part of the brief Zhou Dynasty.

16. Mongol Empire and Yuan China (1279 - 1368)
The Mongols extended their hegemony over a major part of the Eurasian landmass, from the Danube to the Pacific for the better
part of the 12th and 13rd centuries.
The Mongol Empire in the late XIII century

17. Ming China during
the Yongle reign
(1402-24)
17

18. The Ming re-established a centralised strong power after the relatively decentralisation during the Yuan
period. The reinforce Civil service and strength the Great Wall of China that will begin to close itself.
18
Yongle Emperor (r. 1402 - 1424), Ming dynasty, moved the
capital to the north (Beijing) and made built the Forbidden City

19. In 1404 the capital of the Empire was moved form Naijing to the
city of Beiping renamed Beijing (Northern Capital)
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was one of the major symbols of the Ming emperors but also it represented their increasing remoteness from
the people they governed. The Ming also strengthen the Great Wall that was both a defensive measure and a isolation tool as
well. The Forbidden City was the Emperor palace from 1421 to 1911 and today’s is Beijing’s biggest tourist attraction.

20. Zheng He (1371 - 1433) did several voyages
along the Pacific & Indic Ocean
Zheng He’s Treasure Ship (122 m) and Columbus’s Santa María (25 m). Zheng He discover many new
territories but expeditions were abandoned due to their huge cost
20

21. Zheng He’s voyages (1405-22) remain as a
symbol of Chinese Ming supremacy
21

22. Emperor Kangxi (1654 - 1722) sat in the Dragon Throne for 61 years, the longest period of any imperial
rule, coinciding with Louis XIV (1638 - 1715) of France who reigned 72 years (the longest for a any
monarch in a major country) and Peter the Great (1672 - 1725) of Russia. 22
Emperor Kanxi (r. 1661 - 1722) reign (61 years) marked the
beginning of the period know as High Qing

23. Matteo Ricci (1552 - 1610) expanded the mutual
knowledge between China and Western powers
23
Matteo Ricci’s phenomenal memory help him to learn Chinese, his skills in mathematics and astronomy was attractive also for the
Chinese court. By 1663, under the early Qing, the number of converts expanded from 10,000 to 200,000. However, the
fundamental dichotomy between the claims of Jesuits’s God and the status of the emperor proved to be insurmountable in the
long run. In 1724, the once tolerant Qing dynasty declared Christianity to be heterodox.

24. Chinese decline
24

25. Reminder: “great divergence” vs. “great
convergence”.
The “great divergence” The “great convergence”
GDP$per$capita$evolu0on$ra0o$selected$countries,$150082008$ World$GDP$percentage$on$total$principal$economies$(198082018)$
Source: Maddison; IMF. PPP data. Adapted form Prof. Niall Ferguson.
Key milestone: late XVIII
century, Industrial revolution
Key milestone: 1978, Deng
Xiaoping’s reforms
25

26. Overview to Chinese civilisation: GDP per capita
evolution
Source: Maddison; IMF.
26
Historical evolution of the GDP per capita (1820-2005)
1820 1870 1913 1950 1973 1998 2005
US 1,257 2,445 5,301 9,561 16,689 27,331 31,200
UK 1,707 3,191 4,921 6,907 12,022 18,714 21,900
France 1,230 1,876 3,485 5,270 13,123 19,558 21,800
Germany 1,058 1,821 3,648 3,881 11,966 17,799 19,200
Spain 1,063 1,376 2,255 2,397 8,739 14,227 17,400
China 600 530 552 439 839 3,117 5,400
India 533 533 673 619 853 1,746 2,300
Japan 669 737 1,387 1,926 11,439 20,413 21,800
World 667 867 1,510 2,114 4,104 5,709 6,800

27. Late XVIII century: Europe launches its industrial
revolution and the “great divergence” begins
Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
“when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for
there is in London all that life can afford.”
27

28. 1793: Lord Macartney fail to set-up an embassy
of the King George the III in the China of
Emperor Qianlong (“clash of civilisations”)
King George III (1738-1820) Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799)
28

30. The Opium Wars (1839-1842) marks the
beginning of the ‘century of humiliations’
A French political cartoon depicting China as a pie about to be carved up by Queen Victoria (Britain), Kaiser
Wilhelm II (Germany), Tsar Nicholas II (Russia), Marianne (France) and a samurai (Japan), while a Chinese
mandarin helplessly looks on. 30

31. Imperialism in Asia (1557 - 1910)

32. The dowager empress Cixi (regency 1861 -
1908) played a key role in the last imperial times
32

33. Japanese illustration depicting the beheading of Chinese captives. Sino-Japanese War of 1894–5
Source: Utagawa Kokunimasa - Sharf Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

34. August 14, 1900: U.S. Army in Action historical painting, depicting Allied Relief Expedition assault on the
outer walls of Peking in China during the Boxer Rebellion. 34

35. British and Japanese forces engage Boxers in battle, 1900.

36. September 7, 1900: Boxer protocol that was lead by Spanish ambassador at the time, Bernardo Cólogan y
Cólogan (1847 - 1921)
36

37. 1912: Puyi, The Last Emperor
Puyi as Emperor of Manchukuo (1932-45)
37
The Last Emperor (Bertolucci)

38. Japan was the first Asian power to converged to
Western standards during Meji restoration
Source: Maddison. Adapted from Visualizing Economics.
GDP per capita: major East Asian countries compared to the US
38