This week I read a textbook chapter about the Qing dynasty. The most interesting thing to me was how nuanced these kinds of situations are. While the Manchu takeover was horrific, as shown in the primary source, the textbook also says that the Qing dynasty was a period of economic success and social stability. There… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 14
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Weekly Progress Report: Week 12
This week I read an intro from Fei Xin to a survey on what countries the Star Raft ship has visited. I found it interesting that a lot of the intro was just spent praising the emperor. He says the emperor swept away the barbarians of the last dynasty to found something better which has… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 12
Weekly Progress Report: Week 11
This week I read an account of a Song loyalist being stuck with Mongols and trying to escape. I found it interesting how it can be difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction in these kinds of autobiographical stories because a lot of the text is focused on events that did happen to him and… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 11
Weekly Progress Report: Week 10
This week I read a chapter of a textbook about the relationship between China and their neighboring communities. Specifically, the Jin and Kitans. Something I found interesting was how weak the Jin rule really was. Despite the terrible treaty that the Song had to sign, the Jin rulers couldn’t keep Chinese culture from seeping in,… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 10
Weekly Progress Report: Week 9
This week I read an overview about the Song dynasty. It was interesting to see a bit of a contrast between the culture and the military of the dynasty. While the Song dynasty prospered culturally and economically, the military was weaker, leading to many attacks and defeats. There is no “best of both worlds” situation.… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 9
Weekly Progress Report: Week 8
This week I read a general background on the Tang dynasty. The most interesting part of it for me was the rebellion that occurred in 755. The Tang dynasty is often idealized by historians, yet there were two different rebellions that each succeeded in some way. The An Lushan rebellion led to the Tang empire… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 8
Weekly Progress Report: Week 7
This week I read a chapter in a book about the relationship between China and their neighbors. It made me think about how often we make generalizations about groups when there’s so much nuance to the situation. China as we know it now is actually a huge mix of many different cultures that can’t be… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 7
Weekly Progress Report: Week 6
The only reading we had this week was part of an activity on how to read and evaluate an article. The article I read was about how contemporaries viewed Empress Wu, her legacy, and why she was viewed the way she was. It’s a pretty good article for a general audience who want information on… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 6
Weekly Progress Report: Week 5
This week I read about an economic debate between legalists and confucianists. They talked about trade, taxes, and monopolies. I found the part about funding war to be interesting because it still applies today. There is still an insane amount of money going towards the military and the justifications are also the same of needing… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 5
Weekly Progress Report: Week 4
This week I read excerpts from two masters of efficiency: Guan Zhong and Shang Yang. The excerpts talk about the laws of the land and how Shang Yang views the general people and what he believes their purpose is. I find it interesting how Shang Yang cares so little about people. His only interest is… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 4