Ch. 2
Primary Source Analysis: The Rise of the Shi
Confucius and Mencius on talent versus inherited status. Work individually (~10 minutes), then export your answers as a TXT file.
Open WorksheetRichland Community College
History of China
HIST 270 — A Survey from the Bronze Age to the Modern Era
Course Syllabus
Policies, grading breakdown, required materials, and academic integrity.
Lecture Calendar
Fall 2026 — the full meeting-by-meeting lecture schedule with readings and due dates.
Lecture Slide Decks
Protected Reveal.js presentations for each chapter. Cloudflare sign-in required.
Background Essays
Lecture-by-lecture essays with the history, key debates, and suggested reading behind each class.
Historian's Workshop
Primary-source worksheets for Chapters 2, 5 and 18, plus the Chapter 2 lecture and its companion video.
Chapter Study Guides
Student-facing review materials for each unit — key terms, timelines, and discussion questions.
The Historian's Workshop
Primary-source work, lectures, and video by chapterLecture
When Birth Was No Longer Enough
The Reveal lecture on the rise of the shi — portable expertise in a world at war.
Open Reveal DeckCloudflare sign-in required
Video
The Rise of the Shi
Short-form companion video: Talent in a World at War — how ability began to compete with inherited status.
Watch on YouTubeCh. 5
The Reversal Ledger: The Examination System
Eight Tang anecdotes about the civil service examinations from Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook. Read all eight, chart who starts high, who starts low, what causes the flip, and who is humiliated in four of them, then answer three questions on the whole selection. Work individually (~15 minutes for the ledger after reading), then export your answers as a TXT file.
Open WorksheetCh. 18
Self-Strengthening
Four people of the Self-Strengthening movement: Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Feng Guifen and Woren. Read your person's story and primary sources in class (~10 minutes), prepare, and teach the class in about four minutes, then export your teaching notes and exit ticket as a TXT file.
Open WorkshopChapter Study Guides
Select a chapter to open its study guide
Ancient China
Chapter 1
China in the Bronze Age
Shang & Zhou • c. 1500–771 BCE
✦ Available
Chapter 2
Philosophers & Warring States
770–256 BCE
✦ Available
Chapter 3
The Bureaucratic Empire
Qin & Han • 256 BCE–200 CE
✦ Available
Division & Reunion
Chapter 4
Political Division in China
200–580 CE
✦ Available
Chapter 5
The Cosmopolitan Empires of Sui & Tang
581–960 CE
✦ Available
Imperial High Tide
Chapter 8
China Among Equals
Song, Liao, Xia & Jin • 907–1279
✦ Available
Chapter 12
China Under Mongol Rule
1215–1368
✦ Available
Chapter 14
The Ming Empire
1368–1644
✦ Available
Late Imperial
Chapter 16
The Creation of the Manchu Empire
1600–1800
✦ Available
Chapter 18
China in Decline
Qing Dynasty • 1800–1900
✦ Available
Modern China
Chapter 24
Remaking China
Republic & Reform • 1912–1927
✦ Available
Chapter 25
War & Revolution
1927–1949
✦ Available
Chapter 27
China Under Mao
People's Republic • 1949–1976
✦ Available