Explaining the Past 3000 years: a Look at Charles O. Hucker’s Thoughts on Chinese History and the Patterns they Prouduce

What makes Chinese history such a difficult area of study is its sheer size and scope. To put it in a more familiar perspective, from the time English settlers dropped anchor and settled the first settlement at Jamestown in 1607 all the way up to the Presidency of George W. Bush, the Chinese have experienced that period of time eightfold. The problem with 3000 years of history is how to record it. For some, the easiest way would be to account for all the dynasties and their emperors. But as Charles O. Hucker puts it, “presenting Chinese history solely as a succession of dynasties is even duller and less meaningful than presenting American history.” (Hucker, 20) The only way to get a clear picture of the history as a whole is to transcend the conventional practice of a chronological study, and find other patterns. Charles O. Hucker in his book, China to 1850: A Short History has done just that and found a guide to understanding Chinese history in the examination of the dynastic cycl...