Paul S. Ropp

This is briskly readable survey of China and its interaction with the wider world, compressing more than two thousands years of Chinese history into less than two hundred pages. Ropp focuses mostly on political and economic history, though there is also discussion of social and cultural issues. As it's a survey, it probably won't contain much that those more familiar with the country would find new or surprising, but for someone like me it was a useful introduction to the topic. I think it would prove a useful textbook in an introductory course on Chinese history.… (altro)

This is a very good overview of Chinese history in a global context. It shows how China interacted with the rest of the world from the Qin Dynasty through the PRC. It compares Chinese economic growth with the rest of the world, exploring its strengths and weaknesses. It is rather sympathetic to China, but is also realistic. It shows how things that appeared to be strengths when they were introduced would prove to be weaknesses in the long term. It looks at changes in means of production, transportation and infrastructure. For instance, the standardization of taxation under the Yongzheng Emperor helped create a more equitable and predictable taxation system, but it was inflexible and led to severe reduction in government revenues even before the McCartney mission. Also, new foods and silver from the Americas helped a boom in the Chinese economy, but caused long term problems. The population outgrew the arable land, creating food shortages. The economy became dependent on smuggled silver from the South America, but when that avenue was cut off, it sparked an economic crisis.

Perhaps the most interesting point was about the connection between state control and innovation. Ropp doesn't explicitly say that weaker central control led to more innovation, but it seems an obvious connection. The Tang and Song dynasties are often considered the height of Chinese culture, but neither had tight control over society. Yet this was when the Chinese were producing new agricultural techniques, tools and weapons, while also creating a golden age of poetry and art. Ropp later suggests that the Qing Dynasty, which had a much stronger state under the Kang Xi and Qian Long emperors, curbed innovation because of the possibility of social upheaval that may result. Ropp goes on to say that limitation of foreigners in China, particularly Europeans, made sense as a means to ensure social stability but it also meant that the Chinese were less involved in international trade and innovation than they had been in the past.

I found this idea interesting because of the way it fits with some theories about why the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain instead of elsewhere. On the one hand, it agrees with the idea that innovation is strongest if it comes from the private sector, which China had precious little of when there was a strong state. When there was a weak state, people had more leeway to try new things and more incentive to gain an advantage in a chaotic situation. Yet patent law was essential to the Industrial Revolution and a strong government was necessary to protect intellectual property rights. Ropp opens an interesting door for analysis on how Chinese in the Tang and Song were able to benefit from their innovations without government protection.

Overall, this is an excellent book. It is meant as a survey and does that job very well. It suggests many questions as it goes, but does not have space to do more than suggest an answer for most of them. It is a great introduction to China and the World. Even for those who have studied some aspect of China before, it can provide some new perspectives on a very interesting and complicated subject.… (altro)