Chinas Roots by Orient Lee †Book Review

Chinas Roots by Orient Lee – Book Review Free Online Research Papers China’s Roots by Orient Lee Book Review As one of the oldest and largest civilizations in the world, China has seen both its political state and culture morph in countless ways through periods of war, peace, prosperity, and destitution. To summarize its thousands of years of history in a mere few hundred pages is, undeniably, a formidable task, but Orient Lee attempts it in his work China’s Roots. As the title suggests, the book describes how China and the Chinese people came to be what they are today through a chronological retelling of Chinas development from prehistoric to contemporary times. It is not, however, a comprehensive description of Chinese history, but nor does it profess to be. Rather, Lee, a Chinese scholar with many historical works under his belt, presents a broad framework of the nations transition through various periods of history. Above this frame, he selectively adds more detailed descriptions of the most notable events, persons, and cultural aspects, offering insight into things that have come to define China and the Chinese people. In the same vein, Lee also supplements his history with separate chapters on the evolution of science, art, and literature in China. Presented in both Chinese and English trans lation, the book is moreover accessible to both Chinese and foreign readers. However, while China’s Roots is a commendable introduction to China’s history and culture, it is nevertheless marred by several faults, including uneven focus, unreliable information, and the author’s clear bias towards certain subjects. China’s Roots summarizes Chinese history and cultural development in twelve chapters. The first chapter introduces China’s geography and describes the nation’s land mass, provinces, cities, mountains, lakes, deserts, plains, prairies, plateaus, forests, islands, and rivers, showing that most do not shy in comparison to those of the powerful nation in the world, the United States. He also highlights the nation’s most notable natural wonders, including the Great Central Plain, Himalaya Mountains, Yellow River, and Yangtze River, whose length is comparable to that of the Nile and Amazon. On the whole, Lee’s descriptions emphasize the beauty, usefulness, and grandeur of the Chinese landscape. The second chapter concerns China during prehistoric times, citing various archaeological remains from Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic times. The author traces the development of humans in various regions through these ancient times, describing the tool s, houses, pottery, and other artifacts of each era. In the next seven chapters, Lee relates China’s historical past from the Xia Dynasty to modern China, with focus on the political aspects of the country’s development. He begins by blending the myths of China’s origin with historical fact to create an account of proto-history. A brief description of the Xia Dynasty is given, though it is made clear that the information is based on ancient texts as opposed to archaeological evidence. The Shang Dynasty is also only described briefly, with passing remarks about its 28 kings and achievements in agriculture, military, and the like. Next Lee describes how the Zhou Dynasty was established as well as the four main vassal states during Middle Zhou. He also describes each of the Five Hegemons individually and gives a brief account of the seven Warring States, the growth of feudalism, and how Qin came to power. The account of Qins and its achievements in road-building, measuring, writing and such, is brief like its re ign. Following this Lee traces the establishment of Han and its first five emperors, but then quickly speeds through the rest of the emperors and attainments in the lengthy eras of Former and Latter Han, with special attention given to certain emperors such as Wu Ti and Ming Ti. When drawing attention to the Three Kingdoms period, the author briefly describes the three states and their rulers, and then reflects on why no kingdom was able to unify China. This is followed by a detailed portrayal of the struggles between the eight princes of Jin, and a description of the minority tribes of the period as well as the Northern and Southern Dynasties stage. There were also significant developments in philosophy, science, literature, and religion at this time. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, society and economy flourished, although this epoch was also plagued by problems such as the Fanchen Warlords and rebellions. The Five Dynasties period only lasted shortly, and the Northern Son g Dynasty that followed suffered from a poor military and administrative system. Despite Wang AnShis reforms, rebellion rose. Numerous battles between Jhin and Sung took place during the Southern Song, and the economy of the period suffered great deficit. The Mongol-ruled Yuan Dynasty treated the Han Chinese as ninth-class citizens. After years of misrule, rebels eventually established Ming, though the first ruler was deemed insane and ruled poorly. Another rebellion eventually brought about the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which had the misfortune to fall to the status of a sub-colony after fighting two Opium Wars as well as several other foreign wars. Next Lee describes the establishment of the Republic of China, which fought an 80 year war against Japan as well as a civil war that eventually put China under the rule of a communist government. After noting Deng XiaoPings reforms that opened China, the author ends his historical account by asserting his hope for one China. The latter third of the text focuses on various cultural achievements in science and technology, art, and literature. As for technological developments, Lee chronologically details the evolution of technology in different areas, including irrigation, transportation, and chemistry. He also includes a subsection on the sciences that the Chinese purportedly excelled at, including math, astronomy, metallurgy, and medicine. The chapter on the development of arts is separated into subsections of architecture, sculpture, and painting. In each section, Lee describes the development of the art throughout the ages and names specific artists and their accomplishments. Finally, in the last chapter, the author chronologically tracks the growth of Chinese literature and lists several notable authors and works. In critiquing China’s Roots, it is firstly of note to mention that the book has a fairly unique format, which is at times helpful for the reader but sometimes detrimental. The work imparts the aforementioned information in both Chinese and English using Wade-Giles romanization. From the limited amount of Chinese I can read, the English version appears to be a direct translation of the original, with minor discrepancies. For example, when speaking of the math of China, the English version merely mentions that a mathematician solved problems with the â€Å"Method of Finite Difference† (p.201) while the Chinese version actually details the equations and mathematics associated with the method. Similarly, a picture of an oracle describing novas appears only in the Chinese version. Clearly, such discrepancies, which appear throughout the book, indicate that each version is intended for a specific audience. Foreigners are expected know the Method of Finite Difference wit hout further elaboration, and only Chinese readers are expected to recognize characters on the oracle bone. Although this entails that certain details will be missed by those who only read one version, it also implies that the author knows his audience and is likely catered his writing accordingly. Indeed, even the title, presented as â€Å"Our Roots† in Chinese but â€Å"China’s Roots† in English, likewise suggests a specific audience for each version. This review is based off of the English version. When comparing the organization of Chinas Roots with two other similar works on Chinese civilization, An Introduction to Chinese Civilization by John. T. Meskill and China: Tradition and Transformation by John Fairbank and Edwin Reischauer, one sees evident uniqueness in Lee’s approach. Lee chooses to first present geography and chronological history, and then delve more intensively into specific aspects of culture, including science, art, and literature. Although he still enriches his earlier chapters with some cultural information, such as when he describes the flourishing of Tang metropolises, he does not interweave it entirely with history as Fairbank does. In doing so, he succeeds in drawing greater attention to culture as well offering a more coherent narrative of its development. Furthermore, the sections in the chapters of Roots are laid out with appropriate headings, subheadings, and bolded proper names that make specific content easy to access. However, unlike the two aforementioned works, it lacks an index. So while a reader can easily find information regarding certain time periods, he will have difficulty locating more specific names and subjects embedded within the text. The book also suffers from peculiar, counterintuitive organization in some areas, such as when it covers the effect of Qins rule on the six other Warring States before describing the wars that led Qin to accomplish its takeover. It might also be of note that there are several printing errors in the book, including typographic errors, truncated paragraphs, and even repeated pages. It is, then, not unreasonable to assume that certain names and dates could contain errors as well. Altogether, such details mar an otherwise well-organized book. In general, China’s Roots provides well-written and comprehensive overviews of its subjects. Compared to the works of Fairbank and Meskill, Roots is shorter in length but covers the same events, names, locations, and other facts important to Chinese history and culture. It does so in a more succinct manner, often offering only the most important details, so that readers can learn a great deal about Chinas origin without having to read hundreds and hundred of pages of text. Indeed, in merely 250 pages, Lee has laudably created a comprehensive, compact, and largely well-written piece of work that has summarized a massive history for almost anyone to enjoy. Like the other authors, Lee also, in a professional manner, tries to prove most of his assertions or opinions with fact. When he claims that Tangwas the greatest [dynasty] in Chinese history (p.102), he immediately appends a list of facts about Tangs political, criminal, military, and philosophical bearings, which support his assertion as evidence. Similarly, when he claims that the Tang dynasty flourished, he proves it with numbers and statistics. Moreover, in addition to capturing the essence of the longer and more well-known books, Lees book also delves into subjects that are not usually touched upon by other writers. For example, while Lee uses a similar organization of chapters as Meskill, the latter fails to include a section on science as Lee does. In all fairness, few people would associate China with scientific innovation, but Lees unique inclusion of the subject serves to shatter misconceptions by highlighting Chinas lead in many areas of technological achievement. Also, while Meskill and Fairbank are reluctant to include unproven information that is not supported by evidence, Lee freely includes stories and myths in spite of dubious accuracy. This leads him to include sections on the myths of origin about Yao, Shun and Yu, as well as information on Xia that is only supported by writ ings from thousands of years after the fact. In contrast, the other two works only mention the Xia Dynasty briefly in one paragraph or even just a sentence. Lees inclusion of such information expands the readers understanding of China and where the Chinese people believe their roots lie. Lee also writes about China in a unique style that often adds to the entertainment value of the book. While Fairbank and Meskills works read like bulky textbooks that would only incite interest in a small specific group of readers, Lee reaches out to a larger audience. Most likely in effort to conjure up more interest in his subject, he uses style and includes content that a larger audience will enjoy. In some ways, Lees descriptions read almost like flowing narratives as he explains cause and effect and the rise and fall of each dynasty. Often times, he even includes anecdotes that make otherwise trivial or dull subjects amusing. For instance, he highlights greed, deceit, and betrayal of the ruling class in a needlessly detailed but unarguably interesting account (p.81-3) of the power struggle between eight Jin princes. At other times, he points out interesting facts that other history writers are likely omit, such as the financial enigma of Sung, whose yearly expenditures con sistently exceeded revenues (p.137). Indeed, Lee attempts to inject his own interest in China into his readers. On the other hand, the authors efforts to lay emphasis on topics that are more appealing prove to have adverse effects as well. For one, Lees compulsion to share topics that he finds interesting results in uneven focus throughout many parts of the book. In one such instance, Lee devotes dozens of pages to the lengthy wars between Jhin and Song and even specifically describes the terms of many peace treaties and battle strategies. Such details offer little insight into Chinese history as a whole, and even Fairbank and Meskill only make passing references to them. The needlessly detailed description must then have arisen from the authors interest in the subject, which ultimately imposes tedious information upon the reader. Furthermore, at other times, the author fails to include information on a subject if he finds it uninteresting. This is the case with the Five Dynasties Stage, to which he only devotes three pages because, to him, None of the Five Short Dynasties in the metropol itan region had an edifying or interesting history. Theirs was a series of wars, murders, and usurpations (p.119). Clearly, this uneven coverage of different subjects leaves the reader with information that is overabundant in some areas and insufficient in others. In the same vein, Lees desire to please his core reader demographic is detrimental to foreigners who wish to extract accurate information from the text. It can be inferred from the Chinese title of the book, Our Roots, and the Taiwanese phonetics on the cover, that the core readership will be Taiwanese. With this in mind, Lee has created a work that often seems to glorify the Taiwanese and their ancestors specifically. For instance, when describing Chinas geography, Lee presents his opinion that Taiwan isthe most beautiful [island] as fact (p.6). He also occasionally glosses over information that makes China appear weak in the face of other nations. When speaking of the Opium War and foreign dominations that follow, he only includes a few pages (p.154-6) on the subject, whereas Fairbank and Meskill both provide long sections on the details of the war, the resulting agreements, as well as other wars that followed. It is unfortunate that Roots fails to provide information on a s hameful but nevertheless important part of Chinese history that helps to explain Chinas inferiority complex during the many decades that followed. Similarly, the book names modern scientists, artists, and writers in Taiwan but not the Peoples Republic of China. This, too, denies readers information that they will need to study and understand todays China as a whole. In addition to the aforementioned instances in which the author inserts his own bias and opinions in an unapparent manner, Lee also frequently asserts his views explicitly. There are many cases in which he utilizes the words I think, I believe, or I propose, such as when he asserts that I think the human elementhad also played a role in historic happenings of every epoch (80). While it is helpful to provide an experts opinion, including them also makes the work appear less objective. When opinions are inserted into a work of history, one begins to question the reliability of the rest of the information, which are then likely to be influenced by bias. Neither Meskill nor Fairbank address themselves in the first person in their works. Although Lee supports assertions with evidence for the most part, there are also times when he makes statements without sufficient proof. Often, these statements make Roots appear even less professional and less reliable. For example, he frequentl y describes characters without proof, such as when he repeatedly asserts that certain rulers are stupid, ugly, (p.81), or crazy (p.149). Moreover, although it is most likely due to inaccurate translation, the use of these adjectives, which are generally colloquial, reduce Lees credibility as a qualified historian. Overall, Chinas Roots is a well-written but nevertheless flawed piece of nonfiction on Chinas past. Despite having listed many faults with the book, I would recommend it to anyone interested in Chinese history. While the writing may not be entirely objective, it does provide an abundance of valuable information on China and its origins. Furthermore, it conveys that information in a succinct and interesting manner, rendering what could otherwise be dull material into a more entertaining and understandable form. Personally, I found the stories of wars and power struggles to be fascinating. It is important for every Chinese person to learn about his or her origins, and this book represents a great source from which to draw that knowledge. On the whole, it provides the most important details of Chinese history and culture without being too detailed or too rough about its subject matter. However, readers must also take Lees words with a grain of salt, especially when he writes subj ectively. When the author asserts that that Tang is the greatest dynasty, for example, readers should question the statement and decide for themselves the qualities that constitute true greatness. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lee, Orient. Chinas Roots. 2nd Edition. Monterey Park: Evergreen Publishing, 2002. Meskill, John T. An Introduction to Chinese Civilization. Lexington: DC Health and Co, 1973. Fairbank, John K. and Edwin O. Reischauer. China: Tradition and Transformation: Revised Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. Research Papers on China’s Roots by Orient Lee - Book ReviewDefinition of Export QuotasMind TravelCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWWhere Wild and West MeetQuebec and Canada

The Best AP US History Quizzes You Should Be Taking

The Best AP US History Quizzes You Should Be Taking SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Looking for AP US History quizzes? You're in luck. We have a long list of quizzes you can use throughout the year, or in the spring when you’re studying for the APUSH test. Read on to get an AP US History workout! How to Use These Quizzes We chose the most comprehensive, detailed quizzes we could find online – some from teachers’ websites, others from general study resources, and many from textbook websites. All of these quizzes test specific eras of American history, for example the Gilded Age or the Cold War. By using quizzes that test certain time periods, you can figure out which eras of US history you know well, and which ones you need to do extra work on. If you want a mix of questions from different eras, hang tight for our post on AP US history practice tests – these contain multiple-choice sections with a mix of questions about each era of US History. So how should you use the quizzes? We recommend the following two strategies for studying for AP US History. Quiz As You Go Throughout the year, as your class covers certain time periods, find quizzes that match up and take them. For example, as your class wraps up a unit about the Revolutionary War, go through some of the quizzes that test the same time period. This will help you retain the information better and learn throughout the year. (Not to mention this will help you study for in-class tests and get better grades in your AP US History class!) Furthermore, learning the material well the first time will reduce the need for frantic spring cramming. Yeah, you'll still probably need to brush up on some dates and names before the AP test (when was the French and Indian War again?), but having a solid understanding of the different major eras and events in US History, like the events that led to the Revolutionary War, will save you a lot of study time. If you work to retain information throughout the year, you won't have to cram so hard in the spring. Use the Quizzes for Targeted Spring Studying You'll probably do your most intense studying in the spring, in the run-up to the AP exam in May. You can use the quizzes to review material you learned earlier in the year, like information on the colonies or the War of 1812. It can be hard to remember details you learned in September before the AP test in May, so definitely take advantage of these quizzes to jog your memory and review material from early in the year. You can also use the quizzes to target time periods you didn’t learn very well or are having a hard time remembering. Civil War not your thing? Hit the Civil War quizzes. Can’t get the Cold War years straight in your head? Quiz them! Taking the Quizzes There may be some highly-specific questions that you’ll have trouble with since many of these questions come from textbooks. However, if you know the era well enough you should be able to work through most of the questions using process of elimination. In fact, it’s actually quite helpful to go through these quizzes since the APUSH test is written by a different team of writers than your textbook was, so you need to be prepared to think about questions from a slightly different point of view. If you can do well on quizzes written by multiple authors, you will be well-prepared to tackle multiple choice on the real AP US history test. One final word of caution: note that if your class’s textbook website is linked here, chances are your teacher will use these quizzes in class. So don’t use the quizzes from your own book unless your teacher doesn’t use them! You wouldn’t want to duplicate work doing in class, or worse, get accused of cheating. Use quizzes from the other sources instead. AP US History Quizzes Here are the quizzes, organized by website. Click on each one to explore quiz format. The majority are multiple choice, though there are some true/false quizzes sprinkled in as well. Since each site has about 30 quizzes, there are more than 400 quizzes here! So don't attempt them all in one sitting! Many of the textbook web pages are for editions of the books that are a few years old. For example, the American Pageant website below is from the 12th edition, even though that book is now up to the 16th edition. However, the changes between editions aren't dramatic, since history textbooks mainly add information or in some cases change the focus or point of view when they're revised. You can still get excellent quizzes on the main events of each era using these quizzes. For some of the textbook web pages, you'll have to do a bit of navigating to get to the quizzes. While most websites list all of their chapter quizzes all on one page, others separate them out. For example, the first website, American Passages, put their quizzes in separate chapter pages. It's a bit cumbersome, but a few clicks can lead to hundreds of free quiz questions. First, select the relevant chapter to get to the quiz questions. For the ones that are just numbered, not named, that will take some guess work, but you can find them. To take an example, in the pictures below, I'm trying to find a quiz on the Civil War. In the "Navigate By Chapter" drop-down menu, I select "Chapter 15." Success! Chapter 15 is about the Civil War years (as well as the immediate aftermath). Next I click on the "ACE the Test" link in the blue sidebar. I click on "ACE Practice Tests," which opens up a new window with the quiz. Voila! The quiz. Note that most of the websites are more straightforward than this one. Check them out below and start studying! American Passages Making America The Enduring Vision The American Pageant American History: Connecting with the Past The Unfinished Nation Experience America Give Me Liberty! The American Experiment A People and a Nation America: A Narrative History Other Quiz Sites AP US History Quizzesat Albert.io APUSH Quizzes at Raleigh Charter High School US History Quizzes at HistoryTeacher.net What’s Next? Did you know many colleges require SAT Subject Tests in addition to AP tests? Get a complete list of schools that require SAT Subject Tests, and learn the best time to fit Subject Tests into your schedule (hint: if you’re taking AP US History, you should strongly consider the US History subject test). Have you taken the SAT or ACT yet? Thinking about a retake? Learn if your score will improve on a retake, and start studying with the best SAT prep books around (ACT version here). Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: