From Yao to Mao

I'm winding down on another great audio lecture from The Teaching Company, entitled From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History. As previously noted, I'm just beginning to dip my toe into Far Eastern history, and this was a most substantial introduction to the breadth, depth and richness of Chinese history.

Some observations from this beginning student of Chinese culture:

• I love the fact that virtually the entire history is documented, albeit often by biased sources. I don't know if there is another culture that is so well documented consistently from such an early age.


• China's relative isolation from Western development played a role in its unique cultural development. As examples, Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism couldn't haven't developed so vividly in a Western culture (and in fact didn't), but all three prospered for millenia in the Far East.


• China's relative isolation in millenia-past also led to its more recent adoption of communism. The Qing dynasty prospered for many centuries until meddling from the Western powers caused such instability that radical political reform appeared the only logical option. Proximity to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia allowed communism to take root so quickly.


• China's adoption of communism is barely a footnote on its long history. I hadn't thought about this before, which is strange in the modern context that makes it seem like China has always been a communist state. To me this says that China can and will eventually grow beyond communism and adopt a more democratic political form.


• Man, the Mongols are everywhere. The played a huge role in the development of China, eventually blending into the Chinese bloodline, much as they did in countless cultures as far away as India, Russia and the eastern Mediterranean.

In closing I will say that the Chinese developed the finest and gentlest of arts, while occasionally embracing the most bloody sorts of war mongering. Then again they differ from most other cultures in their adoption of the former, not the latter.