Category: hst269

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

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

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

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

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

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

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