China into its second rise : myths, puzzles, paradoxes, and challenge to theory / James C. Hsiung.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hsiung, James Chieh, 1935-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

China--Economic conditions--2000-.

China.

Economic conditions.

China--Economic policy--2000-.

Economic policy.

Physical Description:

xx, 319 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Singapore ; Hackensack, N.J. : World Scientific, [2012]

Summary:

The aim is to de-mystify China, by tracing the rationale for contemporary developments to their roots in the country's tradition (as well as borrowings from foreign sources) and to unravel the puzzle about the sustained, incredibly rapid economic growth over the past 30 years, which defies conventional economic theory. The book looks at China in the light of its living civilization, which is the only one of the world's oldest civilizations that has survived to this day. It also contrasts China with the West and Japan in their comparable stages of development. Combining both internal developments and external relations (from the silk routes, the tribute system, to the modern day), it unravels existing myths, puzzles, and paradoxes surrounding China, and questions the adequacy of much of our Western-derived theory (such as realism in international relations) in attempts to explicate a re-rising China.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Chinese Civilization: Origins and the Puzzle of Its Longevity and Renewal 1

1.1 Definition of Civilization, in Relation to Culture and History 2

1.2 Contributing Factors to the Longevity of Chinese Civilization 5

1.2.1 The Ecological Factor 5

1.2.2 Cultural-Religious and Institutional Factors 6

1.2.3 Sequentiality of Certain Developmental Stages in History 8

1.3 Conclusion 11

Chapter 2 "Confucianization" of China, Rise of the Keju System, and the Aftermath 15

2.1 Confucianization: Definition and Overview 15

2.1.1 Initial State-Sponsored Adoption of Confucianism 16

2.1.2 The puzzle of the Adoption of Confucianism 17

2.1.3 A New Structure of Power Relationship and Elite Circulation 21

2.1.4 The Effects and Consequences from the "Confucianization" of China 22

2.1.5 The Myth of the Supposed Confucian "Orthodoxy" 25

2.1.6 Impact of Confucianism on Chinese Culture and Politics 27

2.2 Non-Development of Capitalism: Was Confucianism to Blame? 30

2.3 Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism in Europe 32

2.4 Why No Private Capitalism Arose after the End of the Feudal System in China 33

2.5 Confucianism and Modern China: An Update 37

2.5.1 The Riddle of Some Weaknesses of Confucianism 37

2.6 From the Confucian Legacy to the Post-1949 China: A Conceptual Conversion 41

Chapter 3 China's First Rise as a Superpower (713-1820 A.D.) 47

3.1 Traditional China in the World Economy 48

3.1.1 Science and Technology 50

3.2 Legacies of the Near-Modern Period (From the 7th Century Onward to 1800) 52

3.3 Warts and All: An Evaluation of the Chinese Legacy from Traditional Times 55

3.3.1 Lack of a Democratic Tradition from China's Past 56

3.3.2 Lack of a Law-Abiding Spirit in Chinese Tradition 61

3.3.3 More on the Penchant for "Rule of Propriety" 64

3.4 Ultimate Lessons from China's Political Tradition 66

3.5 Concluding Remarks 68

Chapter 4 Dawn of the Modern Age: Paradox of China's Response to the West 71

4.1 The Dawning of the "Modern Age" On China: A Revisionist View 72

4.2 The Puzzle of the Fragility of the Former Chinese Superpower at the Coming of the West 77

4.3 Modernization for Survival in Response to the West 81

4.3.1 Foreign Encroachments: The Stimulus for Reform 81

4.3.2 China's Responses, Viewed in Retrospect 84

4.4 The End of the Dynastic Era: Postmortem and Prognosis 89

Chapter 5 The Puzzle of the Rise of Communism: Maoist China in Retrospect 93

5.1 The Search for a Universal Ethos and Its Upshot 94

5.2 The Chinese Revolution and Marxism as Viewed (and Molded) / Mao Zedong Zedong, Mao 97

5.2.1 The CCP's Revolutionary Legitimacy 100

5.2.2 Inherent Appeals of Marxism-Leninism 101

5.2.3 The Goals of the CCP Revolutions as Molded / Mao 102

5.3 The Lingering Puzzle of the Communist Conquest of Power in China 103

5.3.1 Chiang Kai-shek's Faults and Misfortunes 104

5.3.2 Mao's Adroitness in Turning the Tides Against Chiang 109

5.4 A Re-Evaluation of Maoism and Its Legacy 114

5.4.1 Mao in the Scale of History: Memorable Feats and Faults 114

5.4.2 Paradoxes in Mao Zedong Thought: A Thoughtful Re-Assessment 116

5.4.3 A New Apotheosis of Mao and Re-Reading of History 121

5.4.4 A "Revisionist" Rethinking on Mao's Economic Programs 122

Chapter 6 Dengist Reforms in Post-Mao China: The Great Leap Outward and Its Legend 127

6.1 The Forgotten Interlude 127

6.2 The Transition to the Dengist Era 130

6.3 The Paradox of the Dengist Reform 131

6.3.1 Redirection of the Developmental Pathway: The Dengist Imprint 131

6.3.2 A "Revolution from Above" and the Costs of Its Success 137

6.4 Consequences of the Dengist Reform 138

6.4.1 Economic and Social Costs to Deng's Reforms 139

6.5 Emergence of a Partially Marketized Economy: Aftermath of Tiananment 140

6.6 The Puzzle and Myth of the China Model 141

6.7 The "Chinese Way" to the China Model 144

6.8 More on the Puzzle of the China Model 146

Chapter 7 The China Model, the Dengist Legacy, and Political-Economy Theory 149

7.1 The Essentials of the China Model 149

7.2 The Institutional Structure of the China Model: Macroeconomic Guidance and Control 153

7.3 Unitary State and Provinces: Calculated Decentralization 159

7.4 Center-Periphery Balance in the Institutional Reform 160

7.5 The China Model and the Phenomenon and of Rapid and Sustained Growth 164

7.6 The Non-Obvious in the Myth Surrounding the China Model 168

7.7 The Intangibles that Round out the China Model Myth 171

7.8 The "Paradoxicals" in the China Model 177

7.9 An Evaluation and a Look into the Future 183

7.10 The China Model and Challenge to Classical Liberalism 193

Chapter 8 China's Second Rise: Challenge to World Order or International Relations Theory? 199

8.1 Assessing China's Re-Rise 199

8.2 The China Threat: Old and New Meanings 200

8.3 The Epistemology of the China Threat Theory 207

8.3.1 The China Difference 209

8.3.2 Anarchy Versus Hierarchy 211

8.3.3 The Explanatory Power of a Hierarchic Model: From the "East Asian System before the West" 213

8.4 Interpreting China's Rise: Dissidence and Intellectual Climate Changes 221

8.4.1 First Wave of Intellectual Climate Change 224

8.4.2 The Second Wave of Intellectual Climate Change in the China Threat Debate 228

8.5 Paradigmatic Divisions on How to Assess China's Second Rise and the Future World Order 233

8.6 The Puzzle of the (Re-) Rise of China as a Civilization State 234

8.6.1 The Spirit and Core Characteristics of the Chinese Civilization-State 237

8.6.2 Foreign-Relations Implications of the Chinese Civilization-State 241

8.7 China's Re-Rise as Ascertained from a "Trans-Civilizational" Perspective 243

8.7.1 Evaluation of China' Behavior During Its First Rise 243

8.7.2 As a Chastened China Re-Emerges from Its Century-Long Interregnum of Decline 245

8.7.3 Does China Under Communist Rule Make Any Difference? 247

8.7.4 China's Behavioral Patterns During the Run-Up to Its Second Rise 251

Chapter 9 The Romance of China's Re-Rise and the Riddle of a Pax Sinica 263

9.1 Implications of China's Second Rise 263

9.2 The New World Order to Follow: Co-Dominium or Pax Sinica? 267

9.3 Regional Implications under Pax Sinica 277

9.4 A Happy Note and Three Caveats 282.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-305) and index.

ISBN:

9789814324717

981432471X

OCLC:

773023445