The Making of Modern China: A Trilogy
Chinese history is long and complex. With its litany of dynasties and hard-to-pronounce names, it presents a formidable challenge to anyone new to the subject. Yet we should all know about Chinese history. It does not only hold the stories of a large chunk of humans — up to a quarter of humanity at times. It also holds important lessons for understanding our world today.
So how to understand Chinese history? I am no authority on the subject. My Chinese is fairly limited and my major in China Studies was in philosophy, focusing on Mencius. But I have spent many years trying to understand, in my limited capacity, the history behind modern China. And after years of scouring the literature, I can confidently say that Yasheng Huang's work would have been an excellent place to start.
(EDIT: You can now read a summary of this material here)
Huang is not a historian as such. A professor of economics at MIT, he approaches Chinese history with a lot of data. And be warned: this is not history for history’s sake. This is history to understand the present. Some will frown. I think most readers of this newsletter will not.
Huang’s most recent work is The Rise and Fall of the EAST, where EAST stands for Exams, Autocracy, Science, and Technology. The book tackles each of these four themes in turn, looking at both China’s deep history and its current predicament.
The book rekindled my veining interest in Chinese history. Around the same time, my podcasting mentor and old classmate, Jordan Schneider of ChinaTalk, was visiting London. I told him of my interest in Huang’s work. “Let’s do this together”, Jordan replied. Hours of conversation followed.
Overview
The trilogy begins with a look at China’s imperial history and its legacy today. Part II explores Chinese communism and China’s economic miracle. Part III looks at China under Xi Jinping.
You’ll find links to Spotify and Apple Podcasts below. For other players, head here and search for episodes in September 2024.
If you prefer reading, you can head to my summary here or check out the links to transcripts below.
I hope this mini-series can help more and more English speakers gain some understanding of the broad contours of China’s history. At the same time, I know that one professor and two podcasters can only do so much. If this has piqued your interest in learning more, keep scrolling till the end of this article. It includes a curated list of books, films, and podcasts for those who want to sail further. Enjoy!
Part I: The Deep Currents of Chinese History
Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Read: Transcript on ChinaTalk
In the first episode, we explore the deep currents that have shaped China’s history. We trace the forces shaping China's early mastery of technology and its falling behind Europe in the modern era. We also discuss the surprising role that standardized examinations have played in Chinese history and why certain democratic elements in China’s past bolstered its culture of authoritarianism.
Part II: Explaining the Chinese Miracle
Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Read: Transcript on ChinaTalk
How to explain China's dramatic rise? Was it due to the wisdom of China's leaders after Mao? Or was it all about foreign investors searching for cheap labour?
In this episode, Huang offers a fresh perspective on China's recent rise. Rather than political decisions in Beijing or foreign money in Shanghai, Huang’s story focuses on bottom-up developments in the Chinese countryside. We meet many colourful characters and discuss fascinating themes, such as: How did Mao shape the direction of Chinese history? Why did China become richer than India? Why were the 80s a golden era for liberal Chinese? How did the 1989 crackdown at Tiananmen Square pave the way for China today?
Part III: A Brief History of China’s Future
Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Read: Transcript on ChinaTalk
Where is China today? Will its rise continue to benefit the vast majority of its population? Or is Xi Jinping's increasingly repressive government committing one of the biggest blunders of modern history?
In this final episode, we discuss questions about China's present and future, guided by lessons from its recent past. We look at the causes and consequences of Xi Jinping's rise, why both Chinese leaders and Western observers misunderstand China's economic success, and why Xi Jinping’s reign might have created a ticking time bomb for political chaos.
As always, we conclude with my guest’s reflections on humanity.
Bonus: More links
I had some fun putting together a brief list of resources for those curious to learn more about Chinese history. These are in no particular order but include some books, films, and podcasts that have left an impression on me.
(For more book lists on Chinese history, check out China Books Review.)
Yasheng Huang’s works
Much of our conversation is based on Huang’s book Rise and Fall of the EAST. Huang’s two works on the modern Chinese economic miracle include Selling China and Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics.
To hear Huang’s comparison between the Chinese and the Indian economy — and his defence of democracy — see his TED Talk below.
History books
Jonathan Spence’s The Search for Modern China is the standard place to start — for a good reason. Beautifully written, it tells the story of modern China from the early modern period to 1989. With his wife, Ann-ping Chinn, Spence has also written a photographic history of 20th-century China, titled The Chinese Century. This is one of my all-time favourite coffee-table books and a perfect mix of unforgettable photographs and strong narration. (Compliment with the Russian Century of the same series.)
To understand ancient China and its connections to the rest of the world, see Valerie Hansen’s works, such as the Open Empire.
For a fascinating history of China-US relations, see The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom by John Pomfret.
Political memoirs
There are two political memoirs taking readers straight into the centres of Chinese power in the 20th Century.
The Last Manchu is an autobiography of China’s last emperor, Puyi. The book served as an inspiration to Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Emperor and is surprisingly well-written. It covers a good half of the 20th Century.
Prisoner of the State offers a bitter look back at the golden era of the 1980s and its abrupt end in the summer of 1989. The author, Zhao Ziyang, was a liberal reformer who rose to serve as the Chairman of the Communist Party just before the protests at Tiananmen Square. He opposed the use of the military but was sidelined by the conservative clique and put under house arrest. Fortunately, he could record his memoirs on tape and smuggle them out of the house. Zhao is no poet, but his matter-of-fact account kept me up at night.
Literary non-fiction
Jung Chang’s Wild Swans has long been the go-to place for literary insights into modern Chinese history. I think the hype is well-deserved: Wild Swans is the single most captivating journey through 20th-century China that I have experienced. Helen Zia’s Last Boat Out of Shanghai is a close second.
Shen Fu’s Six Records of a Floating Life is a memoir of an educated nobody from the middle years of the Qing dynasty. Filled with rice wine, poetry parties and a surprisingly relatable love story, Shen Fu’s reminiscing offers a remarkable window into the regular life of the Chinese middle class during the times before major European influences.
Films
Michael Wood’s documentary series The Story of China is an easy entry into the basics of Chinese history. Expect David Attenborough-style enthusiasm about a glorious past.
So-called 5th Generation Chinese cinema produced some of my all-time favourite films between 1984 and 1994. Many were censored, but others captured a unique place in Chinese culture, not unlike that of Tolstoy’s novels in Russia. My favourite from this period is Zhang Yimou’s To Live—freely available on YouTube with English subtitles. More political than the book it is based on, the film captures, in a highly emotional way, the simultaneously hopeful and tragic role that the Communist Party has played in modern Chinese history. (The tragic aspect was too much for the Chinese government. The film was banned immediately after its 1994 release.)
Podcasts
Laszlo Montgomery’s China History Podcast offers an easy way to learn about Chinese history while keeping a smile on your face. The first 50 or so episodes provide an overview of Chinese history. More recent episodes are thematic. Laszlo has also curated useful playlists to dig deep into specific themes.
Kaiser Kuo’s approach in the Sinica Podcast has inspired me personally. Expect deep conversations on everything related to China — often with a deep interest in history.
Jordan Schneider’s ChinaTalk is mainly focused on current affairs, but Jordan was trained as a historian. It shows.
Did you enjoy this? Check out my What About India series with Bishnupriya Gupta.
You might enjoy my mini-series on the Birth of Modern Prosperity. Guests include Daron Acemoglu, Branko Milanovic, and Brad DeLong.
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"Or is Xi Jinping's increasingly repressive government committing one of the biggest blunders of modern history?"
I'm curious about this claim of increasingly repressive government, since repression can take many values under consideration, some may be relaxed while others become more tightly controlled. Is there some science or attempted science behind the measurements or is this a narrative?
You might like to check my upcoming series on history of China. I have some other recommendations https://open.substack.com/pub/jeffrich/p/world-power-history-tour-pivot-to?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=azb1g