It is difficult to understand the modern Chinese history without studying the history of rural areas. Rural dwellers account for most of China's population in the 20th Century. The establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 was the result of the Communist Party's rural revolution, and the socialist revolution in the 1950s was also mainly carried out in rural areas.
Unlike the history centered on politicians and elites, this course examines the history of rural society in China throughout the 20th century from the perspective of villages and peasants. It is divided into two main parts: "The Structure of Traditional Chinese Rural Society in Pre-modern Time" and "War, Revolution, and the Transformation of Chinese Rural Society in the 20th Century" In the first part, I will examine the structure of traditional Chinese villages through a comparation with Japanese villages, and then explore how the rural society was ruled by the emperors in the pre-modern time. In the second part, I will examine the transformation of Chinese rural society in the 20th century, focusing on war, revolution, and the construction of the Nation-State in Chinese countryside. I will also analyze the legacy left by the socialist revolution and examine how it continues to shape contemporary rural governance in today’s China.