Dynastic cycle
Encyclopedia
Dynastic cycle is an important political theory in Chinese history
. According to this theory, every dynasty
goes through a culture cycle.
The Mandate of Heaven
was the idea that the Emperor was favored by Heaven to rule over China. The Mandate of Heaven
was created by the Chinese philosopher Mencius
, during the Period of Warring States.
It has 3 main periods:
and Bamboo Annals
is the Xia
, which was succeeded by the Shang
, although concrete existence of Xia is yet to be archaeologically proven. Among these dynasties the Han
and Tang
are often considered as particularly strong periods, although other dynasties are famous for cultural and other achievements (for instance, the Song Dynasty
is sometimes associated with rapid economic development). Han and Tang, as well as other long, stable dynasties were followed by periods of disorder and the break-up of China into small regimes. Out of disorder a leader eventually arose who unified the country and imposed strong central authority. For example, after the Han various dynasties ruled parts of China until Yang Jian
reunited the country and established the Sui Dynasty
. The Sui set the scene for the long and prosperous Tang. After the fall of Tang, China again saw a period of political upheaval. There is a famous Chinese proverb
that says "After a long split, a union will occur; after a long union, a split will occur" (分久必合，合久必分). Nevertheless, each of these rulers would claim the Mandate of Heaven
to legitimize their rule. The dynastic cycle only came to the end with the establishment of Republican
China in the early 20th century.
Although this well-known dynastic periodization of China is more or less based on traditional Sinocentric ideology, it also applies to non-native rulers who sought to gain the Mandate of Heaven
. While most ruling dynasties in Chinese history were founded by native Chinese, there were also non-native or Conquest Dynasties established by non-Han Chinese people beyond the traditional border of China (also known as China proper
), such as the Yuan
founded by Mongols and the Qing
founded by Manchu
s, who later conquered China and assumed the title of Emperor of China
. After seizing control of Ming
capital, Qing emperors began to consider their own expanded empire as Zhongguo ("中國", literally the "Middle Kingdom", the term for "China" in modern Chinese). The official name of the Qing Dynasty was "Great Qing" (大清), similar to other regimes or ruling dynasties in Chinese history (for example, the official name for Ming Dynasty
was "Great Ming"), but the name "China" was commonly used in diplomatic and international communications and treaties
(such as Treaty of Nanking) signed between Qing Dynasty and foreign (e.g. European) countries, or along with "Great Qing". Originally as a Manchu state, Qing rulers considered their state as "Zhongguo" as they have borrowed Han Chinese imperial ideology. Nevertheless, some Han Chinese, especially the nationalists who intended to repel the Manchus as "barbarians", did not acknowledge the word "Zhongguo" for the Qing regime.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. According to this theory, every dynasty
Dynasties in Chinese history
The following is a chronology of the dynasties in Chinese history.Chinese history is not as neat as is often described and it was rare for one dynasty to change peacefully into the next. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they...
goes through a culture cycle.
The cycle
The dynastic cycle appears as it follows:- A new ruler unites China, founds a new dynasty, and gains the Mandate of HeavenMandate of HeavenThe Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimaze rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of...
. - China, under the new dynasty, achieves prosperity.
- The population increases.
- CorruptionPolitical corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
becomes rampant in the imperial court, and the empire begins to enter decline and instability. - A natural disaster wipes out farm land. The disaster normally would not have been a problem; however, together with the corruptionPolitical corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and overpopulationOverpopulationOverpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
it causes famine. - The famine causes the population to rebel and a civil warCivil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
ensues. - The ruler loses the Mandate of HeavenMandate of HeavenThe Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimaze rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of...
. - The population decreases because of the violence.
- China goes through a warring states period.
- One state emerges victorious.
- The state starts a new empire.
- The empire gains the Mandate of Heaven.
-
-
- (The cycle repeats itself.)
-
The Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimaze rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of...
was the idea that the Emperor was favored by Heaven to rule over China. The Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimaze rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of...
was created by the Chinese philosopher Mencius
Mencius
Mencius was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself.-Life:Mencius, also known by his birth name Meng Ke or Ko, was born in the State of Zou, now forming the territory of the county-level city of Zoucheng , Shandong province, only thirty kilometres ...
, during the Period of Warring States.
It has 3 main periods:
- The first is the beginning of the dynasty.
- The second is at the middle of the dynasty's life and is the peak of the dynasty.
- The last period is the decline of the dynasty both politically and economically until it finally collapses.
Significance
Chinese history is traditionally represented in terms of dynastic cycles. Through its long history, the Chinese have been ruled not by one dynasty, but by a succession of different dynasties. The first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand HistorianRecords of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
and Bamboo Annals
Bamboo Annals
The Bamboo Annals is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins at the earliest legendary times and extends to the Warring States Period , particularly the history of the Wei state...
is the Xia
Xia Dynasty
The Xia Dynasty is the first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles such as Bamboo Annals, Classic of History and Records of the Grand Historian. The Xia Dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors gave his throne to him...
, which was succeeded by the Shang
Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
, although concrete existence of Xia is yet to be archaeologically proven. Among these dynasties the Han
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
are often considered as particularly strong periods, although other dynasties are famous for cultural and other achievements (for instance, the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
is sometimes associated with rapid economic development). Han and Tang, as well as other long, stable dynasties were followed by periods of disorder and the break-up of China into small regimes. Out of disorder a leader eventually arose who unified the country and imposed strong central authority. For example, after the Han various dynasties ruled parts of China until Yang Jian
Yang Jian
Yang Jian is the name of:*Erlang Shen, the mythological Chinese God*Emperor Wen of Sui , founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty* Yang Jian , Emperor Wen's grandson...
reunited the country and established the Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
. The Sui set the scene for the long and prosperous Tang. After the fall of Tang, China again saw a period of political upheaval. There is a famous Chinese proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
that says "After a long split, a union will occur; after a long union, a split will occur" (分久必合，合久必分). Nevertheless, each of these rulers would claim the Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimaze rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of...
to legitimize their rule. The dynastic cycle only came to the end with the establishment of Republican
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
China in the early 20th century.
Although this well-known dynastic periodization of China is more or less based on traditional Sinocentric ideology, it also applies to non-native rulers who sought to gain the Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimaze rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of...
. While most ruling dynasties in Chinese history were founded by native Chinese, there were also non-native or Conquest Dynasties established by non-Han Chinese people beyond the traditional border of China (also known as China proper
China proper
China proper or Eighteen Provinces was a term used by Western writers on the Qing Dynasty to express a distinction between the core and frontier regions of China. There is no fixed extent for China proper, as many administrative, cultural, and linguistic shifts have occurred in Chinese history...
), such as the Yuan
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
founded by Mongols and the Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
founded by Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
s, who later conquered China and assumed the title of Emperor of China
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
. After seizing control of Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
capital, Qing emperors began to consider their own expanded empire as Zhongguo ("中國", literally the "Middle Kingdom", the term for "China" in modern Chinese). The official name of the Qing Dynasty was "Great Qing" (大清), similar to other regimes or ruling dynasties in Chinese history (for example, the official name for Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
was "Great Ming"), but the name "China" was commonly used in diplomatic and international communications and treaties
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
(such as Treaty of Nanking) signed between Qing Dynasty and foreign (e.g. European) countries, or along with "Great Qing". Originally as a Manchu state, Qing rulers considered their state as "Zhongguo" as they have borrowed Han Chinese imperial ideology. Nevertheless, some Han Chinese, especially the nationalists who intended to repel the Manchus as "barbarians", did not acknowledge the word "Zhongguo" for the Qing regime.
See also
- History of ChinaHistory of ChinaChinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
- Social cycle theorySocial cycle theorySocial cycle theories are among the earliest social theories in sociology. Unlike the theory of social evolutionism, which views the evolution of society and human history as progressing in some new, unique direction, sociological cycle theory argues that events and stages of society and history...
- Sexagenary cycleSexagenary cycleThe Chinese sexagenary cycle , also known as the Stems-and-Branches , is a cycle of sixty terms used for recording days or years. It appears, as a means of recording days, in the first Chinese written texts, the Shang dynasty oracle bones from the late second millennium BC. Its use to record years...
- DialecticDialecticDialectic is a method of argument for resolving disagreement that has been central to Indic and European philosophy since antiquity. The word dialectic originated in Ancient Greece, and was made popular by Plato in the Socratic dialogues...
- CliodynamicsCliodynamicsthumb|Clio—detail from [[The Art of Painting|The Allegory of Painting]] by [[Johannes Vermeer]]Cliodynamics is a new multidisciplinary area of research focused at mathematical modeling of historical dynamics.-Origins:The term was originally coined by Peter...
Sources
- Kennedy, Bruce. "Chinese Dynastic Cycle." Killer Roos. 17 February 2008
- Ching, Frank. Ancestors: 900 Years in the Life of a Chinese Family. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1974.
- Wills, John E. Mountain of Fame: Portraits in Chinese History. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994
Further reading
- Chi, C. Y. C., and N. D. Lei. (1994) Famine, Revolt, and the Dynastic Cycle: Population Dynamics in Historic China. Journal of Pop Economics 7: 351-378.
- Korotayev, A., Malkov, A., & Khaltourina, D. (2006) Introduction to Social Macrodynamics: Secular Cycles and Millennial Trends. Moscow: URSS http://urss.ru/cgi-bin/db.pl?cp=&lang=en&blang=en&list=14&page=Book&id=37484. ISBN 5484005590 See especially Chapter 2 of this book
- Nefedov, S. A. 2004. A Model of Demographic Cycles in Traditional Societies: The Case of Ancient China. Social Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & History is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on the development of human societies in the past, present and future. In addition to original research articles, Social Evolution & History includes critical notes and a book review section. It is published in English twice a...
3(1): 69–80.