CCCH9019 China: Culture, State and Society
Emperors
Timetable for Lectures

Course Description

Emperorship was the core institution of Chinese government for over 2000 years (221 BC-1911 AD). As the Son of Heaven, the emperor embodied both the unity of the empire and the unity between Heaven and Man. This enduring institution originated from ancient Chinese civilization and was only abolished after confrontation with global modernization. Emperors, therefore, provide a key to understanding the structures of society and government, disputes in philosophy and religion, patterns of history, and transformations in culture and civilization. They also tell us about China’s struggles in global modernity and are still used in constructing Chinese identity and culture today.

This course studies emperorship as the defining institution of Chinese civilization. It shows how the emperor has repeatedly been perceived as an “essence” of Chinese civilization, and how this enduring institution has been continuously contested and transformed by shifting political, social, cultural, and global forces. This interdisciplinary course teaches students to distinguish divergent disciplinary methodologies, including history, philosophy, religion, literature, art, and film. It also requires students to critically assess the sources and arguments of existing scholarship.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, students will be able to:

  1. Articulate a broader perspective and a deeper critical understanding of the complex connections between issues of profound importance.
  2. Distinguish various disciplinary methodologies involved in the study of the Chinese imperial institutions, culture and civilization.
  3. Show enhanced communicative and collaborative skills through debate, presentation, and writing.
  4. Question conventional assumptions about Chinese culture and civilization.
  5. Demonstrate enhanced critical thinking and active participation as citizens in local and global communities.

Offer Semester and Day of Teaching

First semester (Wed)

Study Load

Activities Number of hours
Lectures 24
Tutorials 8
Reading / Self-study 39
Film viewing and internet search 22
Assessment: In-class quizzes (incl preparation)  12
Assessment: Presentation (incl preparation) 16
Total: 121

Assessment: 100% coursework

Assessment Tasks Weighting
Class participation and weekly discussion questions 30
Tutorial exercises 30
In-class quizzes 40

Required Reading

  • Cao, X., & Hawkes, D. (1973). The story of the stone: a Chinese novel. Harmondsworth: Penguin. [Selected passages]
  • Goldin, P. R. (2020). The Art of Chinese Philosophy: Eight Classical Texts and How to Read Them. Princeton: Princeton University Press. From https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691200811 [Selected passages] 
  • Idema, W. L., & Grant, B. (2020). The Red Brush: Writing Women of Imperial China (Vol. 231). Harvard University Press. [Selected poems]
  • Owen, S., et al. (2016). The poetry of Du Fu. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. [Selected poems]
  • Rawski, E. S. (1998). The last emperors: A social history of Qing imperial institutions. Berkeley: University of California Press. [Selected pages]
  • Sima, Q., & Dawson, R. S. (2007). The first emperor: selections from the Historical records. Oxford; Oxford University Press. [Selected passages]
  • Tackett, N. (2014). The Destruction of the Medieval Chinese Aristocracy. Harvard University Asia Center. [Chap. 5 (pp. 187-234)]
  • Wang, A. (2000). Cosmology and Political Culture in Early China. Cambridge University Press, 2000. [王爱和. 中国古代宇宙观与政治文化. 上海古籍出版社. 2011.] [Chap. 5]
  • Wang, Y. (2022). The Rise and Fall of Imperial China: The Social Origins of State Development. Princeton University Press. [Chap. 4]
  • Xu, C. (2025). Institutional Genes: The Origins of China’s Institutions and Totalitarianism. Cambridge University Press. [Chap. 12]

Required Film Viewing

  • Burke, M., et al. (Director). (2019). Empires of Silver. [Episodes 1 & 2]
  • Cooper, P. (2019). The Mongols – Terror of the Steppe, Fall of Civilizations. [Episode 19]
  • Hsia, L., et al. (1990). The emperor’s eye art and power in imperial China. 
  • Twente, C. (Director). (2006). Secrets of China’s First Emperor: Tyrant and Visionary. 
  • Twente, C. (Director). (2007) China’s Forbidden City The Center of the World. [Part 1]
  • Zhang, X. (Director) The Rise and Fall of the State of Chu. [CCTV International, episodes 7 & 8]

Course Co-ordinator and Teacher(s)

Course Co-ordinator Contact
Dr A. Wang
School of Chinese, Faculty of Arts		 Tel: 3917 7308
Email: awang@hku.hk
Teacher(s) Contact
Dr A. Wang
School of Chinese, Faculty of Arts		 Tel: 3917 7308
Email: awang@hku.hk