On The Internal Development Of The Circle Of Chinese Civilization

Based on current Japanese scholars' studying on the Circle of Chinese Civilization, a circle includes East Asia and South-east Asia in total, the dissertation tries to make it clear what the unique law of development of this self-existent circle.The dissertation consists of three major parts of exordium, the main text and the conclusion.The exordium looks back on Europe-centric viewpoints and the self-questionings among the scholars who commit themselves to Asian studies, especially those from Japan, points out that it is necessary to expatiate the developing course of Asia according to its own history, and explains why the dissertation tends to probe into the issue about the "internal development" of Asia mainly based on current Japanese scholars' studying. As to what the "Circle of Chinese Civilization" means, the author explains that whereas there are many Japanese scholars who tend to study Asia as a whole, the word "Asia", in most cases, means a combo of East Asia and South-east Asia. And the author call it as "Circle of Chinese Civilization". As to the proper noun of "internal development", the author explains that the time before western people came into Asia in modern times, there had been some factors which had driven and were driving Asia forward. These factors includes the circle's traditional mode of production and trade, commercial system, intercommunion of people, material and technique, and the effect of Chinese culture to the circle, etc. These factor would not lead the circle into a industrial society, just like what had happened in Britain in the industry revolution, but had it not for them, the circle would not come to be a modern society.Chapter one looks back on Japanese people's view of Asia. The author think that the Japanese people's view to Asia can be summed up as four types according to the time, that is, ancient time(200AD~1192AD), media age(1193AD~1603AD), Edo era(1603AD~1868AD) and modern time(1868~). And the current Japanese scholars' paying attention to the Circle of Chinese Civilization drops a hint that Japanese people's view of Asia has much to do with their history.Chapter two comments on the theory of East Asian society of small-scale peasant economy put forward by Hiroshi Miyajima and Tetushi Nakamura, reckons that the agriculture mode of intensive cultivation in the Circle of Chinese Culture, which came into being in the eastern climate and was affected by the eastern culture, is something unique, something quite different from the western mode. This mode had proved to be fit for the Circle of Chinese Culture in old time, and today it still has something fit for the modernization of agriculture. The Circle's agriculture developing should base on its tradition while making use of modern technology, so as to go ahead in a rational way. The author remind us that the agriculture society of the Circle of ChineseCulture's coming into being and its developing, where the peasants cultivating and weaving, engaging in mixed farming, and taking part-time jobs in slack season, affect the circle's industrialization, because peasants in this society obviously adapted very well to the change from a feudal society to a capitalist society. And this, is a important factor that shouldn't be ignored when discussing the circle's modernization.Chapter three comments Takeshi Hamashita's theory of tribute trade system. Long before 1840's, there been a commercial network which united most of the countries and areas in the Circle of Chinese Civilization into one system and gave birth to a united market of the Circle in 19th century. Though Hamashita's theory pay little attention to the west impact to the east, its discussing the economic developing of the Circle of Chinese Civilization is appropriate.Chapter four discussing the internal development of the Circle from the doings of the oversea Chinese. Chinese people engaged in marine trade long before 1840's. From Ming Dynasty(1368AD~1640AD) to Qing Dynasty(1641AD~1911AD), oversea Chinese set up their commercial network in the Circle. When the west merchan...