OLLI-HIST-2201 - Making China Less Inscrutable

Course Description

It is often said that China is the world's oldest continuous civilization. While the Egyptians, Syrians, and Iraqis may have something to say about that, in today's China there is no dispute. China's view of itself has remained remarkably consistent over at least three millennia, Perhaps it is best summed up in a letter from one of China's greatest emperors to England's King George III, rejecting the request of the King's emissary to establish a diplomatic presence in Beijing: "Our dynasty's domestic virtue has penetrated every country under Heaven, and kings of all nations have offered their costly tribute...we possess all things...and have no use for your country's manufactures." Since the Qing emperor's letter was written in 1793, China has experienced a spectacular collapse, and a phoenix like rise. Let's examine China's tumultuous past, how it informs today's China, and talk about what this portends for the remainder of the 21st century.