Modern and Contemporary Chinese History
The Historial Transformation of Chinese Rural Society
The structure of rural society in China varies among North, Central, and South China. However, it has not yet been fully examined as to what differences exist at the village level and how to analyze regional disparities. This seminar will extract village data from the local historical literature and analyze the differences between villages with a focus on the following five points: (1) the number of households and population, (2) relationship between families and villages, (3) land ownership, (4) distance between villages, and (5) economic condition and geographical environment.
Students are required to read basic reference s on the politics and economics of rural society during the period from the 1930s to the 1950s , and attend the discussions on Chinese social transformation.