第二章 Chapter 2

中国历史与社会
The History and Society of China
内容提要
Essentials 　

1. 中国的早期历史与文明
The Early History and Civilization of China

2. 孔子及其影响
Confucius and His Influence

3. 古代中国的强盛与衰落
The Rise and Fall of Ancient China

4. 中国社会的现代转型
The Modern Transition of Chinese Society
 中国的早期历史与文明
The Early History and Civilization of
China
 读前思考 Pre-reading Questions

1. 中国早期的文明和文化是如何发展起来
的？
How did the early civilization and
culture of China grow?

2. 你知道甲骨文和青铜器吗？它们的用
途是什么？
Have you ever heard of 甲骨文
(inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells) or

青铜 (bronzes)? What are their

The birth of Pangu
The goddess (Nuwa) patching the sky
DNA double helix

Fuxi and Nuwa

 中国是世界上最早的文明发源地之一。早在 170 万年前，中国大地
上就开始有人类的活动，这就是生活在今天云南境内的“元谋猿
人”。
The Chinese civilization is one of the earliest in the world, with
human activity recorded as far back as 1 700 000 years ago in
modern day Yunnan Province, nicknamed “Yuanmou Man”.

 20 世纪 20 年代，北京西南周口店一带发现了很多古人类的头盖骨
化石和牙齿化石，经过鉴定，这些古人类生活在距今 40 到 50 万年前
。考古学家把这些古人类叫做“北京人”。
In the 1920s an archeological discovery in the southwestern
suburbs of Beijing near Zhoukoudian uncovered a large amount of
fossilized skulls and teeth that upon inspection were verified as
dating from 400 000 to 500 000 years in the past. Archeologists
gave this ancient human culture the name “Peking Man”.
 北
京
人

爪
哇
人
直立人走出非洲
Out of Africa of
the Homines
 中国的史前文明
China’s Archeology and Mythology in Pre-
history

北京周口店 北京人遗址博物馆
Zhoukoudian Site Museum of Peking Man in Beijing
 猴、马、熊、狼、犀牛、野猪、象等
The climate was warmer than that of today
 Shell of mussel

The ancient Donghulin People of Beijing

Around 10000 years BP
 目

最古老的文字？

贾湖刻符与商代甲骨文
1) 都是刻在甲骨上
2) 都是人为线刻
3) 字形相同且都与巫灵或占卜有关
 从北京猿人到新石器时代末期，也就是从四五十万年前到四五千
年前之间，中国的史前文明以仰韶文化、龙山文化为代表。
From the time of Peking Man to the late Neolithic Age,a period
of time that stretched from 4–5 000 000 to 4–5 000 years in the
past, Yangshao and Longshan cultures represented the
prehistoric civilization.

 现在你可能会听到很多关于那个时候的传说故事，但在历史学家
眼中，这些传说故事并不是真正的历史事实。实际上，黄帝只是
传说中的远古英雄人物，代表着中国人的祖先，是中华民族的一
个文化符号。
Nowadays, you may have heard some of the myths from that
period. Naturally, historians do not take these stories on face
value. However characters such as the Yellow Emperor, a
hero from ancient times who merely represents Chinese
ancestry, have grown to become important symbols of Chinese
culture.
Room of the North China
 Ancient character Bones of dog and shell of mussel

7000-5000 BP

Millet
Pottery for sacrifice
 甲骨文和青铜器
Inscriptions on Bones or Tortoise Shells and
Bronzes
At　　
the site of the Shang
capital we have found many
animal bones such as cow
blade bones and tortoise
shells that bore various
markings and symbols. After
much research it was
discovered that these carvings
are indeed the earliest known
form of Chinese
characters, known as jiaguwen
甲骨文 (inscriptions on bones
or tortoise shells). Their
discovery tells us that Chinese
characters have a history of
some 3 000 years. 河南安阳殷墟出土的甲骨文
Inscriptions on oracle bones unearthed from Yin
Ruins of Anyang, Henan Province
中国甲骨文字，大多刻于龟版兽骨之上

Chinese characters
Ancient Egypt 象形文字 hieroglyphic

Ancient Mesopotamia
Evolution of Chinese characters
Sun Moon Carriage Horse
Ancient text
 青 铜 器 — — 爵、鼎 、尊
Bronze vessels Jue, Ding, Zun

Jue Ding Zun

 sacrifice

Pray for harvest, success, triumph, or good luck

三足鼎立 A Ding with three legs

一言九鼎
人声鼎沸
 　　“民以食为天”是中国人常说的一句话，意思就是说，对于普通民众来说，
吃饭是跟天一样重要的事情。这一点跟西方文化完全不同。看看比商周略晚的古希腊
的艺术品，大多是裸体人形的雕塑，你便能体会到中西文化从一开始就存在着多么显
著的差异！

The saying min yi shi wei tian (Food is Heaven for the people) is something
Chinese people often say, meaning that for common people there is almost
nothing quite as important as food. In this respect Chinese and Western
cultures are total opposites. Take a look at the works of art produced at the
same time as the Zhou Dynasty in Ancient Greece, the vast majority are
nude sculptures. Here we can get a feel for how, from the very beginning,
there have existed clear differences between Chinese and the Western
culture.
min yi shi wei tian (Food is Heaven for the people)
 The Emperor Qinshihuang
千古一帝秦始皇
Qín Shǐ Huáng ( 秦始皇 )
was the king of the
Chinese State of Qin from
246 BC to 221 BC, during
the Warring States Period.
He became the first
emperor of a unified China
in 221 BC. He ruled until
his death in 210 BC at the
age of 49.
259 BC – 210 BC
 unification

• the Chinese units of measurements such as weights

and measures 统一度量衡

• the currency 统一货币

• the length of the axles of carts to facilitate transport on

the road system 车同轨

• Character 书同文
 spade

bronze
Horse
 The Great wall

Qin dynasty 221-207 BC Ming dynasty 1368-1644

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
武器
 Terracotta Army 兵马俑
（ soldier and horse figures ）
Kneeling 将军 General
Archer
The bronze chariots and horses

1/2

For the (wives of the) emperor

 古代中国的强盛与衰落
The Rise and Fall of Ancient China
 读前思考 Pre-reading Questions

1. 中国有多少个民族？人数最多的是哪个民族？
How many ethnic groups are there in China?
Which has the largest population?
2. 你们国家有“唐人街”吗？在海外，为什么中国人
聚集的地方都叫“唐人街”？
Is there a China Town in your country? Why is
the place of Chinese habitat usually called 唐人
街?
3. 古代中国在强盛时期对东亚及世界产生了哪些影响？
What was the infuence of ancient China in its
prosperous time to East Asia and the whole world.
 汉唐帝国
Han and Tang Empires
 中国有 56 个民族，其中人数最多的是汉族。汉民族的语言叫
汉语，文字叫汉字。这个“汉”字就来源于汉朝。在欧美国
家，中国人聚居的地方叫“唐人街”，中国传统的服装也叫
“唐装”，这个“唐”字就来源于唐朝 （ 618—907 ）。
• China is home to 56 nationalities, of which the largest group by
far is the Han (known as the Han Chinese). Their written and
spoken language is what we call Chinese, or Hanyu (Language of
the Han). The name comes from the title of the Han Dynasty. In
the West, the areas of cities in which Chinese people congregate
are known in Chinese as Tangren jie Chinatown) and raditional
Chinese clothes are called tangzhuang, the origin of both names
being the famous Tang Dynasty (618–907).
 可见，“汉”、“唐”两个朝代对中国文化的影响很大。
• We can see that the two dynasties, Han and Tang, must have had
a huge impact on Chinese culture.
汉代疆域图 Territory of Han Dynasty
 The Han dynasty

汉字 Chinese

Hanzi

汉族 the Han Nationality

Hanzu
Chop stick in Korea Zongzi in Vietnam
Buddhism was transmitted into China

Kind to the others/ no killing of animals

Baimasi of Luoyang, Henan Province
 2 、 the Silk Road
张骞通西域（张骞凿空）
 Zhang Qian ( 张骞 )

• Zhang was an imperial envoy to the world

outside of China in the 2nd century BCE,
during the time of the Han Dynasty.
• He was the first official diplomat to bring
back reliable information about Central
Asia to the Chinese imperial court, then
under Emperor Wu of Han, and played an
important pioneering role in the Chinese
colonization and conquest of the region
now known as Xinjiang.
• Today Zhang Qian's travels are associated with the
major route of transcontinental trade, the Silk
Road.
• In essence, his missions opened up to China the
many kingdoms and products of a part of the world
then unknown to the Chinese.
• Zhang Qian's accounts of his explorations of
Central Asia are detailed in the Early Han historical
chronicles, Records of the Grand Historian or Shiji,
compiled by Sima Qian in the 1st century BCE .
• Today Zhang Qian is considered a national hero
and revered for the key role he played in opening
China to the world of commercial trade.
 Other achievements

• From his missions he brought back many

important products, the most important being
alfalfa seeds (for growing horse fodder), strong
horses with hard hooves, and knowledge of the
extensive existence of new products, peoples, and
technologies of the outside world.
alfalfa 苜蓿 [mù xu
walnut 核桃

granada 石榴
grape [ɡreip] 葡萄
• Capital-Chang'an 长安城

• Wu Zetian, the Empress 女皇武则天

 3 、 The Tang Empires
唐盛世

唐代疆域图
Territory of
Tang Dynasty
tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty

黄、褐、绿为基本釉色 yellow, brown, and green

唐三彩 Tang san cai
Ancient city of
Chang’an
Chang’an, an international city
plump
Longmen Buddha , Henan Province
DU Fu LI Bai BAI Juyi

Three prestigious poets

 北方和南方
The North and the South

 中国早期的文明发源地在中国北方黄河流域，早
期王朝的首都也都集中在黄河流域。约在 11 世纪以前，中
国的经济重心在北方，广大南方地区还没有完全开发。但
是，随着中国历史上三次大移民南方地区得到了发展。

• The site of China’s earliest civilization was the alluvial plain of

the Yellow River and the earliest dynastic capitals were all
concentrated in this region. Up until the 11th century, the center
of China’s economy was the north and the large open expanses
of the south were yet to be developed. However, the south was
developed gradually with the three great migrations in Chinese
history.
 隋唐时期，人们便修造了一条运河，连接长江下游
的杭州和黄河中游的洛阳，把长江下游的粮食运到中原地区
，整个唐朝皇室和政府机构所需要的粮食几乎都是从江南地
区运来的。从这个时候开始，中国的经济重心开始从北方黄
河流域向南方长江流域转移。
• The Sui (581–618) and Tang dynasties saw the construction of
the Grand Canal that connected the southern city of Hangzhou
with the northern metropolis of Luoyang, carrying grain from the
lower reaches of the Yangtze to central plains of the Yellow
River Valley. Almost all the grain needed by the court during
that time came directly from the south (See map 2-10: Sketch
map of the Grand Canal). From this period onwards, the center
of gravity for the Chinese economic world shifted from the
Yellow River in the north to the lower Yangtze River region of
the south.
南北大运河示意图
The sketch map of the
Grand Canal
 从这个时候开始，中国的经济重心开始从北
方黄河流域向南方长江流域转移。直到今天，中国
的经济重心依然在中国南方，随着近代上海的兴起
、广东部分地区经济特区的设立、香港和澳门的回
归，中国南方经济重心的地位得到了进一步的加强
。
• From this period onwards, the center of gravity for the
Chinese economic world shifted from the Yellow River
in the north to the lower Yangtze River region of the
south. Even today, the south is still the economic
powerhouse of China and since the rise of cities like
Shanghai, special economic zones in Guangdong and the
return of Hong Kong and Macau, the south has been
confirmed as such.
 民族融合
National Amalgamation

中国 56 个民族列表 List of 56 Ethnic Groups of Chinese

 中国在历史过程中也不总是像汉唐那样一直是一
个统一的强大帝国，分裂和战争时有发生。特别是来自北方
的游牧民族和居住在中原地区的汉族之间，经常有战争发生
。但不论是在谁执掌政权的帝国里，民族融合始终没有停止
过。中国的历史其实是一部民族融合的历史。
• Throughout Chinese history China has not always mirrored the
cohesive and mighty imperial image of the Han and Tang
dynasties. Indeed, at times the country was torn apart by conflict.
Violence and division was often caused by the wars between the
nomadic peoples of the northern steppe and the Han Chinese of
the central plains. Nevertheless, regardless of which group held
power, the amalgamation of the various ethnic groups continued
unabated. The history of China is in fact one of ethnic integration.
 晚清大变局
Big Change in Late Qing Dynasty

Opium smoking Sino-British Opium War

 从 1840 年开始，中英鸦片战争改变了中国的历史，中
国开始沦为西方列强争相侵略的对象。对于来自西方各国的入侵
，清政府束手无策。英国、法国、德国、俄国、美国、奥地利、
意大利、葡萄牙以及一直向中国学习的日本都侵入中国，希望分
得一份利益。
• From the Opium War (1840–1842) Chinese history had changed and a
once proud and glorious empire began to succumb to invasion by
aggressive Western powers. As far as the invading Western nations
were concerned, the Qing government sat back and watched as Britain,
France, Germany, Russia, USA, Austria, Italy, Portugal and even
Japan, all invaded China and divided up the profits.
 在北方， 1860 年签订的《北京条约》使中国东北的大
片土地割让给俄国；在南方，香港、澳门相继割让给英国和葡
萄牙；在上海，十几个国家的租界相互毗邻，延伸到黄浦江畔
。最为惨痛的是 1860 年英法联军火烧圆明园，“万园之园”
毁于一旦，成为中国近代屈辱史的一个象征。
• In the north the Treaty of Beijing was signed in 1860 that ceded a
large part of northeast to the Russians. In the south both Hong Kong
and Macau were ceded to the British and Portuguese respectively.
In Shanghai, a dozen or so countries divided the city among
themselves into their own leased territories. However, the most
horrendous event was the 1860 burning of the Yuanming Yuan by
the Anglo-French forces, putting “the garden of ten thousand
gardens” to the torch overnight; an event that has come to
symbolize the insults suffered by the Chinese in recent history 。
北京圆明园遗址 Yuanmingyuan relics, Beijing
 中国人开始寻找自强的道路：
The Chinese began to desperately seek out a means of self-
strengthening.
 1898 年发生了著名的“戊戌变法”。
In 1898 the Reform Morement took place.
 直到 1911 年，辛亥革命推翻了清朝政府和 2000 年来的封建帝制，开始
走资产阶级共和道路。
Finally the Rerolution of 1911 to overthrow the Qing imperial house and
2 000 years of feudal monarchy occurred. From then on China was on
the road to a capitalist republic.
• 中国人尝试了很多路，但日益加深的国内矛盾和愈益沉重的外
来压迫，最终导致中国人学习西方的“强国梦”归于破碎。
The Chinese experimented with many different systems of government,
however with the 20th century came increasing pressure both within
China and from abroad that led the Chinese to abandon their quest for
a Western style “strongman” nation.
New factory New navy

1860 年，清政府开展“洋务运动”。
Beginning in 1860 the Qing government started a
“Westernisation Movement”.
Struggle for republic
 中国社会的现代转型
China’s Transition to a Modern Society
 读前思考 Pre-reading Questions

马克思主义是如何从欧洲传入中国的？其中哪些
主要人物起到推动作用？
How did Marxism come into China from Europe?
Who were the key people promoting the process?
 The Qing dynasty ended in 1911

 Republic of China

 People’s Republic of China

 马克思主义的传播与影响
The Spread and Infuence of Marxism
壹 革命理论的迅速传播
The rapid spread of Marxist revolutionary theory
In 1918 intellectual Li Dazhao
(1889–1927) wrote Fa E geming
zhi bijiao guan (A Comparison
Between the French and
Russian Revolutions), Bu’ershiwei
zhuyi de shengli (The Victory of
Bolshevism) amongst other
publications, therefore making the
start of the spread of Marxism in
China. 李大钊像
Portrait of Li Dazhao
 五四运动后，《新青年》、《每周评论》等许多报刊都
大量刊载介绍研究马克思主义的文章。
 Starting with the May-4th Movement, several periodicals
such as Xin Qingnian (New Youth), Mei Zhou Pinglun
(Weekly Evaluation) and others started carrying large
numbers of articles researching Marxist theory.

 在马克思主义的影响下， 1921 年中国共产党成立，中国

的命运也开始发生了根本性的改变。
 It was this Marxist theory that influenced the founding the
Communist Party of China in 1921 which planted the seeds
of change for the fate of the Chinese people.
Communist Party of China National Flag of USSR

Founded in 1921
二 俄罗斯文艺对中国的影响可追溯到 20 世纪 20 、 30 年
代。
Soviet cultural influences can be traced to their origin in the
1920s and 1930s.
五四运动以后，俄国文学作品被大量翻译成中文。
Following the 1919 May-4th Movement a great many USSR
literary works were translated into Chinese.
　 “俄国文学之父”的普希金
the “Father of Russian literature” Pushkin
 另一位对中国社会产生重
要影响的苏联文学家是高尔基
（ 1868—1936 ）。
•Another writer from the USSR
to influence Chinese society was
Gorky(1868–1936).

玛克西姆 · 高尔基
Maksim Gorky
• 1929 年，高尔基的作品
《母亲》第一次由夏衍从日
文译成中文。这部小说被认
为是奠定社会主义现实主义
创作的典范。
In 1929 the first of his works
to be translated into Chinese
from the Japanese version by
famous translator Xia Yan
(1900–1995) was the novel
Mother. The novel has been 玛克西姆 · 高尔基
Maksim Gorky
proclaimed as the basis for the
Socialist Realism of literature.
 苏联模式与新中国文化
The Soviet Pattern and New Chinese Culture
• 中国在政党制度、法律制度、等方面借鉴了苏联的经验。
• In terms of political and legal systems the Chinese gained much
from the experience of the USSR.

• 在自然科学方面，中国全面向苏联学习。
• In terms of natural science China turned completely to the USSR.

• 此外 , 与苏联接壤的中国东北和新疆受其文化影响尤深。比
如 , 俄式的建筑等。
• The parts of China that border Russia, such as the Northeast and
Xinjiang have been influenced the most by the USSR.
 哈尔滨的索菲亚大教堂
Sophia Cathedral in Harbin
1.Key Words and Phrases In your own words,
please describe the meaning and importance of the
following key words and phrases concerning the
topic of this chapter.

• Oracle bone script 甲骨文

• Confucius 孔子

• The Han and Tang empires 汉唐帝国

• Mixing of ethnic groups 民族融合

• Marxism 马克思主义
2.Group Discussion
In groups of 3~4 classmates, please discuss
what you have learned about China's modern
and contemporary history and compare it to that
of your own countries, paying attention to the
different ways in which your countries and China
have modernized, for example, how the Chinese
imitated the USSR model. At the end of the
group discussion each group should select one
person to give an 8-minute summary of the
group’s findings.
3.Research and Practice
In this chapter we learned the basics of China’s
history and society. Through in-the-field
investigations, interviewing your Chinese friends
and teachers, visiting museums and browsing
websites, please write a short 200-word formal
report giving your own impression of this topic.
4.Further Reading
Should you be interested in learning more about the
relationship between China’s history and society,
below are some useful resources to get you started:
1. Common Knowledge About Chinese History, The Overseas
Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and The Office of
Chinese Language Council International, Beijing: Higher
Education Press, 2007.2.
2. Quick Access to Chinese History: From Ancient
Times to the 21st Century, Beijing: Foreign Language
Press, 2010.12.
3. Website of the National Museum of China
http://www.chnmuseum.cn/default.aspx?
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4 调研实践
　　 本章介绍了中国的历史与社会，请你通过阅
读　
　书籍、采访中国朋友和老师、访问博物馆、搜集
　网络资源等形式，完成一份 200 字以上的报告，
　展示你对中国从古代向现代转折有哪些推动因素
　的认识和理解。
5 　扩展阅读
　　如果你想进一步了解中国的历史与社会的知识，可以通
过下列途径找到这方面的内容：

　　 1 .《中国历史》
，田庆余、戴逸、彭明著，中国大百科　
　 　 　 全书出版社，2010 年。
　　 2 .《中国社会史》，[ 法 ] 谢和耐著，黄建华、黄迅
余
See you next time