Chinese
historiography refers to the study of methods and assumptions made in studying
Chinese history.
Narratives and Interpretations of Chinese history
Dynastic Cycle
View of history that sees the rise and fall of dynasties as passing the mandate of heaven.
Marxist Interpretations of Chinese history
Most Chinese history that is published in the [People's Republic of China]? is based on a Marxist interpretation of history.
The Marxist view of history is that history is governed by universal laws and that according to these laws, a society moves through a series of stages with the transition between stages being driven by class struggle. These stages are
- slave society
- feudal society
- capitalist society
- socialist society
- world communist society
The official historical view within the People's Republic of China associates each of
these stages with a particular era in Chinese history as well as making some subdivisions.
- slave society - Shang dynasty
- feudal society - decentralized feudalism - Chou to Sui
- feudal society - bureaucratic authoritarian feudalism - Tang to Opium War
- feudal society - semi colonial era - Opium War to end of Qing dynasty
- capitalist society - Republican era
- socialist society - PRC 1949 to ?
- socialist society - primary stage of socialism - 1978 to 2050 (?)
- world communist society - ?
Modernist Interpretations of Chinese history
Convergence Theory
European conflict interpretations of Chinese history
Post-modern interpretations of Chinese history
Issues in the study of Chinese history
Periodization