The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), China was ruled by foreign conquerors. How were these groups able to conquer the vast land of China? What administrative techniques did they use to rule the land once they had been victorious? How did they portray themselves to their Chinese subjects, and to their people back in their homeland? Discuss the relationship between China and the West over the whole course of Chinese history. How was contact first established? What sorts of people, objects, and ideas moved from East to West, or West or East? How did large scale imperialism affect China during the 19th century? How did China respond? Discuss the history of China from an economic perspective. Which time periods of Chinese civilization were the greatest periods of growth and expansion (in population, trade, urbanism, etc). How was land held and how was production organized before the coming of the Communist Revolution. What dramatic changes transpired in the second half of the twentieth century?
