Han Exceptionalism vs The Century of Shame

08/06/13 • 76 min

China is one of the oldest and richest civilisations in human history, traditionally occupying a central position in world affairs. Yet China descended into a century of decline after the First Opium War, a period of chaos that saw the demise of the Qing dynasty and the descent of the post-dynastic nationalist republic into civil war. This lecture documents China's century of decline and evaluates the forces that shattered the old dynastic order and plunged the country into political chaos.

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One China or Many China’s?

China is a country of enormous scale and rich diversity, the governance of which can be considered as one of the greatest social engineering projects in human history. This lecture explores China's geographic, ethnic, cultural and economic diversity and considers the challenges this poses to social cohesion, economic vitality and political stability.

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Mao Zedong and his Political Legacy

Mao Zedong's influence on governance, his legacy, and the reaction to it are integral to the story of politics in post-1949 China. His accomplishments as a military leader and revolutionary are significant, however his record as a national leader if more ambiguous. This lecture evaluates the Mao Zedong era and illustrates how Mao's legacy continues to influence Chinese politics today.