Marxist Theories and Methods

 

Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.5, 2017

 

A Special Issue on “China’s Early Historical Development and the Civilizations of Different Regions” (Abstract)

 

Editor’s note: The origins of civilization and the development route of the state are research topics that were of great importance to the classical Marxist writers and have been a perennial subject of contention among Chinese and foreign scholars. In recent years, the emergence of large amounts of archeological materials and the introduction of Western anthropological theories have provided an important opportunity for further exploration of the connotations and characteristics of the Chinese state’s origins and developmental path. In order to promote and deepen relevant research, the Historical Research editorial board and the Research Center for Ancient Chinese Civilization and the Origins of the Chinese State, together with the Chinese Society for Yin-Shang Culture, co-hosted a forum on “China’s Early Historical Development and the Characteristics of the Civilization of Various Regions” in 2016. The forum was attended by more than ten experts from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Renmin University of China and other universities and research institutions. Five articles, by Wang Zhenzhong, Li Yujie, Chang Yunping, Xie Weiyang, Wang Zijin and Ji Jianping, have been selected from papers presented at the forum for publication in this issue.

Human history unites diversity and generality. An in-depth understanding of the particularity of the origins of state and civilizations of different regions can help us interpret the general laws of historical development more comprehensively and accurately. The five articles in this issue have different focuses and approaches, but to some extent they represent the standard of Chinese academic research on the topic of the origin of Chinese civilization and the path taken by the development of the state in recent years. We believe they represent a positive contribution to more in-depth discussion on related questions.