| 1. | Focus Question: In what ways were East Asian countries similar and dissimilar? | |
| What school of thought helped to unite Japan and China culturally? Why might China's history be described as cyclic and Japan's as longitudinal (non cyclical)? Viewing East Asia from the perspective of Europe, how does the development of East Asia appear? |
| 2. | Focus Question: How were the Ming and the Ch’ing Dynasties similar and dissimilar? What accounted for these differences and similarities? |
| How did the Ming dynasty differ from the Ch'ing? How were they similar? How large was China's population by the early decades of the 19th century? What cash crops were grown in the Lower Yangtze region during this period? What accounted for this population growth? Which century is viewed by most accounts as China’s most prosperous, why? |
| 3. | Focus Question: What accounted for China’s Third Commercial Revolution, and what were its effects? |
| How did the attitude of the Ming change toward commerce? What were the principle stimuli to the growth of commerce during this period? What was the Confucian family ideal during the Ming/Ch’ing period? |
| 4. | Focus Question: What was the nature of the Chinese family and what role did women play? |
| What was the Confucian family ideal during the Ming/Ch’ing period? What factors tended to “restrict” women and what factors tended to increase their influence in the family? What does the title, “Thin Horse Market” tell us of the Chinese attitude toward women? How did the market function? |
| 5. | Focus Questions: How did the Ming/Ch’ing political system function? What were its strengths and weaknesses? To what extent did the political structure of the Ming and Ch’ing differ, why? |
| What were the sources of strength of the perfected Ming-Ch'ing system? What was the Confucian view of society? How did the "perfected" late imperial system operate in China? What was the importance of the emperors in this system of government? What was the bureaucracy like during the Ming-Ch'ing era? Why were the finances of the Ming-Ch'ing era generally so favorable? How were government officials normally selected? How was the gentry class in China different from that in England? When and how did the Manchus seize power? What measures did the Manchus take in order to control China? What “event” drained the government’s ample reserves at the end of the 18th century? |
| 6. | Focus Question: How did the Ming/Ch’ing relate to the outside world? Why did the Chinese not expand overseas as did the Europeans? |
| What were the main tenets of Chinese foreign policy in the Ming-Ch'ing period? What were the "managed frontiers"? What advantages did the tribute system for foreigners under the Ming? What did the expeditions of Cheng Ho accomplish and why did the Chinese abandon these missions? What foreign groups were the greatest threat to the Ming and Ch’ing empires? What is the Chinese attitude toward empire? How did the Jesuits establish their position at the Ming and Ch'ing courts? Why were the Jesuits unsuccessful in establishing Christianity on a more solid basis in China? Why did Ch’ien Lung reject the Macartney mission? |
| 7. | Focus Question: What were the characteristics of Ming/Ch’ing culture? |
| Why had Chinese culture turned inward? What were the traditional categories of Ming and Ch'ing high culture? Which cultural achievement do Chinese today consider to have been characteristic of the Ming-Ch'ing era? How did the novel develop in this period and who wrote them? Which novel is considered China’s greatest? Which type of novels tended to be the most popular? ? In the story “A Star in Heaven” what causes a change in attitude of Butcher Hu toward his son-in-law. |
“law of avoidance”
"dyarchy"
Manchus
Mandarins
Treaty of Nerchinsk
Four Treasures
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