The Cultivation Plan of Ph.D. Students Specialized in Chinese History Program

I. The Aim of Cultivation  

The objective of this specialty program is to produce a new, creative type of talented scholar whose thoughts are sound and with full development of morality, wisdom, physique and aesthetics. Qualified graduates of this program are expected to be equipped with fine academic trainings, who has the wide range of theoretical basis and systematically deepening knowledge in the field of Chinese history, who understands and is familiar with both the previous research achievements and frontier of professional knowledge. After four years of study, graduates are hoped to produce a new, creative research in this field of expertise, acquire high level of foreign languages, and fulfill the ability to conduct an independent research, and teach students and adapt him/herself in the wide range of new academic environments.                  

II. The Directions of Research

1. Ancient Chinese History (Qin-Han, Northern and Southern Dynasties)

Comprehensively using transmitted texts, excavated manuscripts and related relic materials, students in this specialization conduct research on several significant academic questions such as the legal system, politics, economy, military affairs, nations, religions, social life, and academic and cultural matters in the periods of Qin-Han or Northern and Southern Dynasties, and thereby figure out the whole aspect of the social characteristics in this period and the development or transformation of this time period, and its course and trend.

2. Ancient Chinese History (Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties)

    Comprehensively using transmitted texts, excavated manuscripts and related relic materials, students in this specialization conduct research on several significant academic questions such as the legal system, politics, economy, military affairs, nations, religions, social life, and academic and cultural matters in the periods of Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, and thereby has an overall understanding of this time period and its social characteristics as well as historical trajectories of its development and evolution.

3. Ancient Chinese History (Dunhuang and Turfan Manuscripts Research)

Students in this subject aim to grasp theories, methodologies and principles of studying excavated manuscripts, especially a systematical and scientifically normative research on the historical documents unearthed in Dunhuang and Turfan. Combining with transmitted documents and other archaeological materials, students conduct research on special topics and thereby enrich, expand and deepen the study of all fields in Medieval China.

4. Ancient Chinese History (Song Dynasty)

Comprehensively using transmitted texts, excavated manuscripts and related relic materials, students in this specialization conduct research on significant academic questions such as the politics, economy, culture and society of Song Dynasty. Study of this time period should focus on the social transformation or evolution and its effect on the development of Chinese ancient history, based on the analysis of theory and historical fact.

5. Ancient Chinese History (Yuan Dynasty)

Combining both transmitted texts and related foreign documents, students in this specialization conduct multifaceted research on significant academic topics of politics, economy, ethnic and nationality issues, culture and society. Study of this time period should focus on the operation of power, national integration, cultural diversity under the rule of Mongolian-Yuan Dynasty as well as issues on the rich and diverse social life of this period.

6. Ancient Chinese History (Development History of Yangtze River Basin)

Students in this subject focus on the development of society and economy, especially the exploration of basic process, regional disparity, main characteristics, general tendency and principles of development of Yangtze River Basin, and thereby make a comparison both among the upper, middle and lower Yangtze River, and between the Yangtze River and Yellow River Region.

7. Chinese Historical Documents (Excavated Manuscripts of Pre-Qin and Qin-Han Dynasties)

Students in this specialty conduct research on the excavated manuscripts in early period such as oracle-bone inscriptions and inscriptions on bronze vessels of Pre-Qin and Qin-Han Dynasty, especially on a great number of excavated bamboo and wooden slips and silk manuscripts since the twentieth century. Students in this specialization focus on the interpretation and annotation, punctuating and rejoining of the excavated manuscripts, restoration of the originality of unearthed texts by comparison with the transmitted documents, and thereby explore the formation, spreading and evolution of early documents and its historical significance.

8. Chinese Historical Documents (History of Pre-Qin and Qin-Han Dynasties)

Comprehensively using transmitted texts, excavated manuscripts and related relic materials, students in this specialization conduct research on history of Pre-Qin and Qin-Han Dynasties, especially on academic questions of politics, economy, legal system and geography, customs and culture.

9. Chinese Historical Documents (Chinese Paleography)

Students in this specialty conduct research on the earlier graph form of Chinese characters written on oracle-bone inscriptions and inscriptions on bronze vessels, bamboo and silk manuscripts of Pre-Qin and Qin-Han Dynasty. They particularly focus on the analysis and exploration of origin and development of Chinese character form, and on this basis research on the meaning and historical connotation of characters and terms in unearthed documents, combined with transmitted texts.

10. Chinese Historical Documents (Wooden and Bamboo Slip Texts of Warring States and Qin-Han Dynasties)

Students in this specialization conduct research on the shape and structure of the wooden and bamboo slip texts from Warring States and Qin-Han Dynasties, as well as the characters, textual contents and connotations of these texts, and thereby explore the historical and cultural issues contained in these texts.

11. Historical Theory and Chinese Historiography (Ancient Chinese Historiography)

Based on the systematic understanding of the development of Chinese history and culture, students in this specialization conduct research on the origin and formation of ancient Chinese history, as well as its internal logicality and external background, and thereby comprehensively explore the trajectories of the development of traditional history, historical classics, evolution of the genres of historical documents, schools in historiography, historical trends of thought and personal narratives of historians. Study of this subject focus on the conceptions of “History,” “History Section” and the formation of history as a discipline and category, and how it affects the process of diachronic and synchronic development of the system of historiography in later times, especially on the development of text on dynasties, official history and unofficial history, sketchbooks and other fields of history in Ming and Qing Dynasties

12. Historical Theory and Chinese Historiography (Historiography of Modern and Contemporary China)

Students in this specialization conduct research on the development process of Chinese historiography after 1840, mainly about the academic characteristics of statecraft ideological trend in history during the reign of Emperor Daoguang and Xianfeng in late Qing Dynasty, “New History”, history of nationalism, history of “New Philology,” “Discernment of Ancient History”, history of culture patterns, historical materialism and other schools of history and their social influences. Study of this subject also traces the transitional process of historical paradigm of Chinese traditional historiography, internal and external reasons and the special development path of Chinese modern historiography.

13. Historical Theory and Chinese Historiography (Traditional Chinese Historical Theory and Its Modern Transformation)

Students in this specialization explore the origin and background of traditional Chinese historical theory and its classics, as well as its theoretical defects and transformation. Comparing with the Western historical theory, students in this subject analyze the inner logic and development tendency of traditional Chinese historical theory, especially about its conversion and new values under the context of modern and contemporary times.

14. Specialized History of China (Financial and Economic History of Ming and Qing Dynasties)

Students in this specialty conduct research on fiscal policy, management system and financial thoughts of Ming and Qing Dynasties, including the management system of levying taxes and corvee, financial revenue and expenditure system, and its influence on the development of society and economy.

15. Specialized History of China (Social and Economic History of Ming and Qing Dynasties)

Students in this specialization conduct research on the development process of society and economy in Ming and Qing Dynasties and focus on the internal logic of development between the economic activities and social changes.

16. Specialized History of China (Regional Social and Economic History)

Students in this specialization focus on the Yangtze River Basin or some other regions, mainly about the exploration of economic developments and social changes within a region and make comparisons between different regions.

17. Specialized History of China (Chinese Cultural History)

Students in this specialization conduct research on the historical course of rise and development of Chinese culture in each period, including each level and dimension of cultural history such as thought, academics, system, and customs, and each region’s cultural history in a historical period.    

18. Specialized History of China (Research on Traditional Chinese Rituals)

Students in this specialization conduct research on the “Three Books of Rituals” (Zhouli, Yili and Liji), mainly about studying classical texts of rituals and the development and evolution of ancient rituals in each period, including restoration and research of the “Five Rituals” (Ji, Xiong, Jun, Bin, Jia) and finding the inner structure of traditional Chinese culture from the institutional perspective.

19. Modern and Contemporary History of China (Modern History of China)

Students in this specialization should be able to combine both macro-grasp and micro analysis of this period and make in-depth exploration of the historical evolution and principles of social and economic pattern in modern China, as well as the performance in all the fields such as politics, economy, society, thought and culture, and so on.

20. Modern and Contemporary History of China (Intellectual History of Modern and Contemporary China)

Students in this specialization conduct the in-depth research on the development and evolution of trend of thoughts, ideologies and theories of important thinkers, and illuminating their interactive relationship with social changes in modern and contemporary China.

21. Modern and Contemporary History of China (History of Foreign Relations of Modern and Contemporary China)

Students in this specialization conduct the in-depth research on the relationships at all levels of modern and contemporary China with the outside world, and explore the overall tendency of the world and changes in global politics and economic patterns, as well as its influence on modern and contemporary China.

22. Modern and Contemporary History of China (History of Republican China)

Students in this specialization conduct the in-depth research on the founding and development of Republican China, including its place in history, fate, and social changes during this period of time in China.

23. Chinese Historical Geography (Chinese Historical Geography and Culture from Pre-Qin to Han Periods)

Comprehensively using transmitted texts, related relic materials and manuscripts, and geographical environment, students in this specialty conduct comprehensive research on South China during this period of time, especially on the Chu Region, including academic questions such as origin of ethnic groups, geographic distribution, cultural development, evolution of ancient cities and geo-political structure of this region.

24. Chinese Historical Geography (Historical Human Geography)

Students in this specialization conduct research on human geography phenomenon of each time period and focus on the changes of territory and administrative divisions as well as its reason, distribution and migration of population during historical periods.

25. Chinese Historical Geography (Regional Historical Geography)

Students in this specialization focus on the Yangtze River Region and explore the distribution of geography phenomenon during historical periods, evolution and its principles, the formation and evolution of human-earth system as well as its principles within a certain region.

26. Chinese Historical Geography (Historical Physical Geography)

Students in this specialization conduct research mainly on the environmental evolution of the middle reaches area of the Yangtze River, especially the relationship between human activities and the natural environment, and thereby provide scientific basis and decision consulting for rational exploitation of geographical resources of this region, eco-environmental protection and fulfill the strategy of sustainable development.

Ⅲ. Duration of Study

The normal duration for Ph.D. students is usually four years with a ceiling of six academic years. The minimum term for students who are eligible for early graduation is three years.

Ⅳ. Course and Credit Requirements

A. Course Requirements

    Refer to the “Course Catalog for Ph.D. Students Specialized in Chinese History Program” (See Below)

The total credit of curricula of international Ph.D. students is the same with that of Chinese native students. Co-requisites are as follows: Introduction to Chinese Culture, 2 credits; Comprehensive Chinese, 2 credits. Ph.D. students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan can waive the Marxist Theory Course and take other degree courses instead.

B. Credit Requirements

The credits that Ph.D. students in this program must fulfill are twelve, among which public compulsory courses are four credits, other degree courses four, and the rest will be the credits for electives.   

V. Other Mandatory Steps and Requirements

Ⅵ. Degree Dissertation

All the works related to student’s dissertation is administered, based on “Wuhan University’s Revised Notice of Cultivation of Academic Ph.D. student” and the related regulations on the Ph.D. degree dissertation at Wuhan University.

Course Catalog for Ph.D. Students Specialized in        Chinese History Program