188 Final Exam Preview/20 points/2011 1
Your Name __________; Graded By __________
The final exam covers important events, key concepts and consequential
figures starting from the First Sino-British War or the First Opium War in
1839 to the present.
I. The First Opium War to 1911
1. No doubt, the first Opium War (1839-1942) marks a new page in Chinese
history. (East Asia 378-382) Outline the main content of the Treaty of
Nanjing (1942) and consequences of the First Opium War. Define
extraterritoriality (East Asia 369).
2. Juxtapose Kangxi’s “Rites controversy” (East Asia 320) with the famous
historical moment of cultural misunderstanding between Emperor Qianlong
and the British envoy Lord George Macartney (East Asia 325-326). Infer
some larger pattern and argue that cultural differences do matter and that
lack of empathy leads to endless troubles in human affairs.
3. Among other causes that lead to the First Opium War (East Asia 378-380),
historians generally agree that the burning of opium (East Asia 379)
authorized by Lin Zexu serves as a catalyst that has directly tipped the
situation. In Tao Te Ching, Laozi states that “Governing a large state is like
boiling a small fish.”1 Imagine you were Lin Zexue, how would you handle
the case differently? One problem lies in that Lin tries to get the situation
under control at its end result. What is more effective in the art of
management?
4. “The nineteenth century marked the heyday of western imperialism” (East
Asia 373). This is based on the notion of social Darwinism championed by
Herbert Spencer (East Asia 373). Read “Escape from Asia” (East Asia 428429) and evaluate the Meiji reform (East Asia 412-427) when Japan adopted
ethnocentrism and shifted away from Confucianism. What happened to
Japan in 1945?
1
Laozi, Tao Te Ching. Trans. by D. C. Lau. (1963; rpt. Hong Kong: The Chinese University
Press, 2001), 87. http://nothingistic.org/library/laotzu/ (60)
188 Final Exam Preview/20 points/2011 2
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5.
II. The Role of the National Party (1911 to 1949)
6. What is so significant about the 1911 Revolution? Who is Dr. Sun Yat-sen
(Sun Zhongshan)? What are the Three People’s Principles (East Asia 450452) and his three policies (ally with Russia, ally with the CCP, assist
workers and peasants—proletariat) that set him apart from Chiang Kai-shek
or Jiang Jieshi? (East Asia 507) Contrast Mao Zedong’s success in
mobilizing peasants. (East Asia 504-505) Two models compared: Strategy
of bowling2 (target at some key pin/player—from most difficult to the
easiest) vs. Expansive Mode 3 (Mao’s model: laying a gradual
siege/circling/surrounding key cities with the countryside-- from easiest to
the most difficult). Which is closer to the Chinese reality at the time?
7. 1926-1928—Significance of the Northern Expedition (Chiang Kai-shek or
Jiang Jieshi vs. warlords Wu Peifu/Sun Chuanfang/Zhang Zuolin; East Asia
462-463). Comment on the role of the Communist Party from 1924-1927, a
period known as the First United Front or the KMT–CPC Alliance.
8. 1936—briefly summarize the Xi’an Incident (East Asia 514) and its
significance. (Marshall Zhang Xueliang/GeneralYang Hucheng vs. Chiang
Kai-shek or Jiang Jieshi; East Asia 514) Confucius says, “A gentleman who
studies is unlikely to be inflexible” (The Analects 1.8). Evaluate Chiang
Kai-shek’s stiff policy of "first internal pacification, then external
resistance" even after Japanese invaded three provinces in 1931. Infer a
2
This is similar to a combination shot in playing table pool or a bank shot in playing basketball.
It is a geometrical move in nature in which a player targets at some key pin and use it as a
leverage to hit other pins indirectly.
3
It is comparable to the flanking marketing warfare strategies. The fundamental principles
involved are:
1. Avoid areas of likely confrontation. A flanking move always occurs in an uncontested
area.
2. Make your move quickly and stealthily. The element of surprise is worth more than a
thousand tanks.
3. Make moves that the target will not find threatening enough to respond decisively to.
188 Final Exam Preview/20 points/2011 3
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larger philosophical point from this historical lesson, about how
consequential inflexibility can be.
9. 1937-1945—the Anti-Japanese War or the Second Sino-Japanese War (East
Asia 514-517) 1945-1949—the Civil War (East Asia 517-518)
III.
The Role of the Communist Party (1911 to 1949)
10.1921, founding of the Chinese Communist Party and its theoretical appeal to
the poor and proletariat: class struggle and capitalist exploitation. Review
(East Asia 502-505)
11.The Long March (1934-1936, depending on the route): Outline the Five
Encirclement Campaigns against the CCP sponsored by Chiang Kai-shek
from 1930 to 1934, which finally forced the Red Army onto its Long March.
(East Asia 511)
12. Comment on the role of the CCP during The Anti-Japanese War or the
Second Sino-Japanese War and its Second United Front with the National
Party from1937 to 1945.
13. The Civil War (1945-1949). Outline the accomplishments of the three
campaigns by the PLA—People’s Liberation Army led by the Communist
Party: Liaoshen Campaign, Huaihai Campaign & Pingjin Campaign.
Explain the rationale in this strategic sequence. With its military supremacy,
why did the National Party lose the mainland? (East Asia 518)
IV.
Era under Mao Zedong (1949-1976)
14. Evaluation of the Korean War. (East Asia 550/586-587)
15. Critical evaluation of the second five-year plan (East Asia 555-558)
16. Chaotic years: The Cultural Revolution and its consequences (1966-1976)
(East Asia 558-563)
17.The Gang of Four (East Asia 563/566)
V. China after Mao Zedong (1976 to the present)
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18. Deng Xiaoping’s economic reform: content & consequences (East Asia
566-568). Who has done a good job in building economy? Taiwan/Hong
Kong/Mainland in perspectives.
19. Is China a socialist country wrapped in a capitalist garment? Appositional
vs. oppositional: Take a closer look at capitalism and socialism—strengths
and weaknesses from each -ism. While many Chinese are pursuing wealth,
are they shifting away from the ancient virtues?
20. White Terror and Red Terror: Taiwan 2.28 Incident in 1947 (East Asia 581)
vs. the Tiananmen Incident in 1989. (East Asia 575-579) In the late 1980s
during the rule of Jiang Jingguo (Chiang Kai-shek/Jiang Jieshi’s son),
Taiwan succeeded in making the transition from one-party rule to
parliamentary democracy. (East Asia 581) Is it possible that one day China
will adopt this political system? Does parliamentary democracy fit China?
21. By demoting self-interest one way or another, it seems that systems of
thinking—Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, including Buddhism—all have
woven their theoretical fabric around a social contract in human
relationships. Explore the place of individualism in Chinese culture which
has often been marked by focusing on the whole society, frequently in the
form of Totalitarianism. To enrich your argument, you may develop and
integrate a critical reading of Half of Man Is Woman by Zhang Xianliang.
Pay attention to how impotence is used as a metaphor in his story. In what
ways does the novel provide a reflection on the relation between the
individual, social and political power? On the other hand, as a result of
constant political movements, how is the web of the five-fold human
relationships outlined by Confucius and Mencius eroded over time?