Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry

Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry PDF Author: Wengcheong Lam
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000627209
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book examines the rise of the iron industry during the Warring States and Western Han periods (ca. 400 BCE–9 CE) in ancient China, which is characterized not only by various technological innovations but also as a remarkable phenomenon, leading to the widespread distribution of iron implements and the emergence of massive ironworks that were rarely seen in later periods. With Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry, Lam Wengcheong combines archaeological and historical analyses to piece together fragmentary evidence and to refocus our gaze onto the economic and political mechanism that gave birth to an iron industry unique in the ancient world. Guiding readers through the macroscopic social settings of the iron industry and distribution patterns of iron implements to the microscopic organization of workplace and workers’ foodways, Lam explores how iron production and transportation processes intersected with the transformation of the Han capital region in the Guanzhong basin. Using various lines of evidence of iron production in Guanzhong and its connection with other production centers, this book shows how the production and transportation of iron at various scales played a significant role in generating the "connectivity" between various parts of the Western Han empire, and casts new light on the workings of the economic system in imperial China. Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry will appeal to anyone interested in Chinese archaeology, the history of the Han empire, and the history of science and engineering in ancient China, as well as to scholars working on the comparative study of ancient imperialism, market exchange, and economic history.

Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry

Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry PDF Author: Wengcheong Lam
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000627209
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book examines the rise of the iron industry during the Warring States and Western Han periods (ca. 400 BCE–9 CE) in ancient China, which is characterized not only by various technological innovations but also as a remarkable phenomenon, leading to the widespread distribution of iron implements and the emergence of massive ironworks that were rarely seen in later periods. With Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry, Lam Wengcheong combines archaeological and historical analyses to piece together fragmentary evidence and to refocus our gaze onto the economic and political mechanism that gave birth to an iron industry unique in the ancient world. Guiding readers through the macroscopic social settings of the iron industry and distribution patterns of iron implements to the microscopic organization of workplace and workers’ foodways, Lam explores how iron production and transportation processes intersected with the transformation of the Han capital region in the Guanzhong basin. Using various lines of evidence of iron production in Guanzhong and its connection with other production centers, this book shows how the production and transportation of iron at various scales played a significant role in generating the "connectivity" between various parts of the Western Han empire, and casts new light on the workings of the economic system in imperial China. Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry will appeal to anyone interested in Chinese archaeology, the history of the Han empire, and the history of science and engineering in ancient China, as well as to scholars working on the comparative study of ancient imperialism, market exchange, and economic history.

State Power and Governance in Early Imperial China

State Power and Governance in Early Imperial China PDF Author: Chun Fung Tong
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438499396
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Get Book Here

Book Description
State Power and Governance in Early Imperial China delves into the governance and capacity of the state by providing an empirical historical study of the collapse of China's Qin Empire. In contrast to the popular view that the Qin fell suddenly and dramatically, this book argues that the collapse was rooted in persistent structural problems of the empire, including the serious resource shortages experienced by local governments, inefficient communication between administrative units, and social tensions in the new territories. Rather than reducing Qin rulers to heartless villains who refused to adjust their policies and statecraft, this book focuses on the changes that the regime did make to meet these challenges. It reveals the various measures that Qin rulers devised to solve these problems, even if they were ultimately to no avail. The paradox of the Qin Empire seemed to be that, although the regime's policies and reforms could theoretically have strengthened the state's power and improved the governance of the empire, their ramifications simultaneously exacerbated the misfunction of local governments and triggered the military failures that eventually destroyed the empire.

Weapons in Late Shang (c.1250-1050 BCE) China

Weapons in Late Shang (c.1250-1050 BCE) China PDF Author: Qin Cao
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100064152X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
Weapons in Late Shang (c.1250-1050 BCE) China: Beyond Typology and Ritual explores the large quantities of bronze and jade weapons, such as dagger-axes, spears and arrows, found at the World Heritage site of Yinxu, the late Shang capital located near today’s Anyang city in central China. Qin Cao’s innovative research presents new insights into these weapons, moving beyond perceptions of them being primarily symbols of power and rank. Through the lens of weapons, this book argues for the significance of martial prowess and leadership within late Shang society. The author considers Shang weapons from an object biographical perspective, tracing their life histories for the first time. This book synthesises archaeological data, scientific analyses, and inscriptions on oracle bones and bronzes, uncovering a more nuanced understanding of the complex roles weapons played in society. What traces of evidence can be detected on weapons that demonstrate their ability to cause bodily harm? Why were tens of thousands of weapons placed in tombs? What led to certain individuals, including high-ranking royal females, being buried with weapons? This book will be of interest to academics, students (both undergraduates and postgraduates), and researchers in archaeology, particularly those focused on China, East Asia, or comparative studies, as well as a more general readership in Chinese archaeology.

The Traditional Chinese Iron Industry and Its Modern Fate

The Traditional Chinese Iron Industry and Its Modern Fate PDF Author: Donald B. Wagner
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136804579
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 121

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book explores the economic history of the traditional Chinese iron industry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with particular emphasis on the interactions among technological, economic and geographic factors. The traditional technology of iron production is described together with the ways in which it changed and developed in response to upheavals wrought by foreign competition, war and revolution and by the growth in China of a modern iron industry. Many of the book's findings are counter-intuitive, and will provide food for thought in the study of Third World industrial development. The author has written widely on the history of science and technology in China, and is currently engaged in writing the volume on ferrous metallurgy for Joseph Needham's Science and Civilisation in China.

Bronze Weapons of the Qin Terracotta Warriors

Bronze Weapons of the Qin Terracotta Warriors PDF Author: Xiuzhen Li
Publisher: British Archaeological Reports (Oxford Limited
ISBN: 9781407316901
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
Over 40,000 lethal bronze weapons were discovered with thousands of terracotta warriors in the tomb complex of the Qin First Emperor (259-210 BC). This book carries out the first systematic and comprehensive study on these weapons to investigate the mass production and labour organisation in early imperial China. The research draws upon extensive measurements, typological analysis and related statistical treatment, as well as a study of the spatial distribution of the bronze weapons. A combination of metrical and spatial data is used to assess the degree of standardisation of the weapons' production, and to evaluate the spatial patterns in the array of the Terracotta Army. This provides further information about the labour organisation behind the production, transportation and placement of weapons as they were moved from the workshop and/or arsenal to the funeral pits. Integrating these insights with inscriptions, tool marks, and chemical analysis, this book fills a gap in the study of mass production, the behaviour of craftspeople, and related imperial logistical organisation in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), marking the most crucial early stage in Chinese political unification.

Making Of An Economic Superpower, The: Unlocking China's Secret Of Rapid Industrialization

Making Of An Economic Superpower, The: Unlocking China's Secret Of Rapid Industrialization PDF Author: Yi Wen
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814733741
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Get Book Here

Book Description
The rise of China is no doubt one of the most important events in world economic history since the Industrial Revolution. Mainstream economics, especially the institutional theory of economic development based on a dichotomy of extractive vs. inclusive political institutions, is highly inadequate in explaining China's rise. This book argues that only a radical reinterpretation of the history of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the West (as incorrectly portrayed by the institutional theory) can fully explain China's growth miracle and why the determined rise of China is unstoppable despite its current 'backward' financial system and political institutions. Conversely, China's spectacular and rapid transformation from an impoverished agrarian society to a formidable industrial superpower sheds considerable light on the fundamental shortcomings of the institutional theory and mainstream 'blackboard' economic models, and provides more-accurate reevaluations of historical episodes such as Africa's enduring poverty trap despite radical political and economic reforms, Latin America's lost decades and frequent debt crises, 19th century Europe's great escape from the Malthusian trap, and the Industrial Revolution itself.

Imperialism and Social Classes

Imperialism and Social Classes PDF Author: Joseph A. Schumpeter
Publisher: Ludwig von Mises Institute
ISBN: 161016430X
Category : Imperialism
Languages : en
Pages : 194

Get Book Here

Book Description
Joseph Schumpeter was not a member of the Austrian School, but he was an enormously creative classical liberal, and this 1919 book shows him at his best. He presents a theory of how states become empires and applies his insight to explaining many historical episodes. His account of the foreign policy of Imperial Rome reads like a critique of the US today. The second essay examines class mobility and political dynamics within a capitalistic society. Overall, a very important contribution to the literature of political economy.

Paths to the Emerging State in Asia and Africa

Paths to the Emerging State in Asia and Africa PDF Author: Keijiro Otsuka
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811331316
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND license. This book addresses the issue of how a country, which was incorporated into the world economy as a periphery, could make a transition to the emerging state, capable of undertaking the task of economic development and industrialization. It offers historical and contemporary case studies of transition, as well as the international background under which such a transition was successfully made (or delayed), by combining the approaches of economic history and development economics. Its aim is to identify relevant historical contexts, that is, the ‘initial conditions’ and internal and external forces which governed the transition. It also aims to understand what current low-income developing countries require for their transition. Three economic driving forces for the transition are identified. They are: (1) labor-intensive industrialization, which offers ample employment opportunities for labor force; (2) international trade, which facilitates efficient international division of labor; and (3) agricultural development, which improves food security by increasing supply of staple foods. The book presents a bold account of each driver for the transition.

Iron and Steel in Ancient China

Iron and Steel in Ancient China PDF Author: Donald B. Wagner
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004096325
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 600

Get Book Here

Book Description
A study of the production and use of iron and steel in early China, and simultaneously a methodological study of the reconciliation of archaeological and written sources in Chinese cultural history. Includes chapters on the technology of iron production based on studies of artifact microstructures.

China and the International System, 1840-1949

China and the International System, 1840-1949 PDF Author: David Scott
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 0791477428
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 375

Get Book Here

Book Description
Examines the images, hopes, and fears that were evoked during China’s century-long subservience to external powers.