Reorienting China

This book is an unusual excursion into Chinese cultural history. Professor Cho-yun Hsu moves beyond accounts that focus solely on the internal evolution of Chinese culture. He revisits early Chinese civilization, integrating recent archaeological discoveries to reshape our understanding of its development. Employing a big history perspective, Hsu reconstructs the dynamic interplay of diverse ethnic groups and cultures within and beyond China, highlighting the constant friction and fusion that shaped its trajectory.

This insightful work reveals why Chinese civilization has endured despite numerous internal and external hardships and turmoils. It offers a nuanced and thought-provoking perspective on China’s past and its relevance to the present.

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Professor Hsu’s expertise on China has developed over many decades. He brings his deep experience to join both textual and archaeological history, and here, in this important book, he offers a unique, individual analysis of China’s history. This revealing volume introduces the full range of China’s important development throughout dynastic rule. In the present day, Professor Hsu’s strong commitment to understanding and sharing China’s past to benefit the present shines through.

In Reorienting China, Professor Hsu Cho-yun compellingly explores the rise and development of early China in ever-changing cross-cultural and environmental contexts. Both erudite and provocative, Hsu demonstrates a vision and methodology that will inspire anyone interested in China studies.

In this sweeping narrative, Professor Hsu offers a grand yet nuanced view of Chinese history. Masterfully weaving the latest geographic and archaeological findings with keen historical insights, he reveals how communities across diverse ecological zones interacted with each other and engaged with the outside world. Through this dynamic process of cultural development, Hsu identifies the defining spirit of Chinese civilization—an enduring ethos of tolerance and perseverance rooted in the philosophical principle of “harmony.”