Table of Contents
Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The China Order
Arrangement of the Book
1. The Centralia: The Origin and the Basics
The Chinese Nomenclature: More than Just Semantics
China as a World: Ecogeography Shapes the Mind
The Chinese Peoples and the Chinese Multination
History and the Writing of History in China
The Precondition: The Pre-Qin China
The Glory and Peacefulness of the Warring States
2. The Qin-Han Polity and Chinese World Empire
Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism
The Qin Polity: The Chinese Totalitarianism
The Qin Tianxia: A World Empire Order
The Qin-Han Polity and the China Order
The Fused Confucianism-Legalism
The Consolidation and Expansion of the China Order
The Recurrence of the China Order and the Great East-West Divergence
The Evolution and Refinement of the China Order
From the Second Great Disunion to the Ultimate China Order
The Qing World Empire
3. The Forsaken Turn: The Song Era
The Song: An Uncommon Qin-Han Empire
Song’s Chinese World
Chanyuan Treaty: China’s Peace of Westphalia
Chanyuan System: A New World Order for Eastern Eurasia
Chanyuan System in the Chinese Mind
The Splendid Song: The Chinese World under the Chanyuan System
Song Era: The Peak of Ancient Chinese Civilization
4. The China Order: An Assessment
The China Order: The Characteristics
The China Order versus the Westphalia System
Ideal Governance for the Rulers at Exorbitant Expenses
Great Incompatibility and Long Stagnation
Deadly Sisyphus, Inescapable Inferno
Why the Stagnation: A Pausing Note on Monopoly
5. The Century of Humiliation and Progress
The Decay and Fading of the China Order
Westernization: The Way to Survive
The Unusual Fall of the Qing Empire
The ROC on the Chinese Mainland: An Era of Opportunities
Late-Qing and the Republican Eras: A Reassessment
6. Great Leap Backward
The ROC: A Tenacious but Transforming Authoritarianism
The Rise of the CCP
Mao and the Mandate of the People
Guns, Ruses, and Promises
The PRC: A New Qin-Han State
Post-Mao: The Qin-Han Polity Changes and Continues
Suboptimal Performance, Rich State, Strong Military
7. The China Struggle Between Tianxia and Westphalia
The Tianxia Mandate
Mao’s Global War for a New China Order
Rescued and Enriched by the Enemy
Opening and Hiding: To Survive the End of the Cold War
The China Dream: Rejuvenation and Global Governance
Epilogue: The Scenarios
Notes
Bibliography
Index