An Outline History of East Asia to 1200
Sarah Schneewind, UC San Diego
Copyright Year: 2020
Publisher: eScholarship
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial
CC BY-NC
Reviews





This text covers many important areas and ideas of East Asia from roughly 1200BC to about AD1200, which contributed to "two Chinas, Japan, and two Korea"; positive: -great slogan for the comprehensiveness, "2400 years, three countries, ten... read more
This text covers many important areas and ideas of East Asia from roughly 1200BC to about AD1200, which contributed to "two Chinas, Japan, and two Korea";
positive: -great slogan for the comprehensiveness, "2400 years, three countries, ten weeks, no problem"; -with the first edition included, really shows the wonderful possibility of revision and expansion of an online open text; -I especially like the cut off during 1200s as the end of the first half of East Asian survey--before the Mongol invasion and the Europeans entered the scenes in East Asia; so I would recommend this text to be assigned to the first half of any East Asian survey courses;
suggestions: -as the author states, it's not a stand-alone text, so it would be helpful if the primary sources/secondary scholarship, as well as study questions are added--could those be included in the next edition? I imagine those were presented to the students at UC San Diego when the course was taught over years; -as the previous reviewer pointed out, there is no glossary or index. I was wondering if the bolden terms in the text could be made into a list so readers can easily look them up by using the searchable feature in a PDF document--isn't it something that people can take advantage of being online?
Further question: -the current text has an intro plus 10 chapters so it is assigned to a 10-week study block--how do instructors assign this text to a 15-week regular semester?
Dr. Schneewind is an active member of the facebook group called Sinologist, which she acknowledged in the postface. So this text not only is accurate, but also reflects recent scholarship from many experts in the field from the vibrant fb group discussions.
I enjoyed the links to other online sources--really shows the openness of an online text. I was wondering if the text can include questions/discussion questions at the beginning and also throughout the chapters, which will make the text more inquiry-based, hands-on, and relevant to the students. For example, Chapter 1 "East Asia to 1045 BC" could be a chapter framed with the opening question of "how we know what we know in history," and explores the various non-textual evidence in the current chapter; likewise, Chapter 1 "The Han Empire and its Neighbors" could be a chapter centers around the question of "what made/makes an empire?"
The text itself is very clearly written. Suggestions: -footnotes instead of endnotes would more likely be read; -perhaps also include timelines of how the three countries line up with each other? Often times students get confused when the timelines of the three countries tangled up with each other.
The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.
Minor suggestion: -could all the tables be numbered in a consistent way so they can be cited and referred to, for example, the table on p. 36 which compares rituals in Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou?
Very easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course, for example, "Shang Yang's reform" and Liu Bang's life "from commoner to emperor."
The topics are presented in a logical and clear way. Further thoughts: -what connects the three countries and what did they share in common? Language(s), Confucianism, Buddhism, cultural influences from China? The current Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 compare the aristocratic societies of Tang China, Shila Korea, and Hei'an Japan. Those are very helpful comparison across countries--could we see more of those in the next edition?
Very nice and helpful images to illustrate the text. Minor suggestion: -can some of the maps be professionally made so they look more reliable? For example, map E about the main Zhou states 500 BC and map H about the four main islands of the Japanese archipelago? I understand that map making for publications could be very expensive--could the text include links to some free maps then?
Dr. Schneewind is a fantastic writer.
The text is culturally sensitive and open to new ideas. When I taught this course, students always wondered, why East Asian history during this period is mostly about China. Just curious about the author's take-on of this question. East Asian history from whose perspective? Who wrote history during this time? People who were able to read and write? The Chinese? Again, would be a very interesting historian's question to explore with students together about bias and cultural sensitivity.
It's a real treat to read this text. And it's very inspiring to see this great work have free access and open to all readers. I really enjoyed the text and would like to thank the author again for her wonderful insight, extreme hard work, and admirable generosity.





In An Outline of East Asia to 1200, Sarah Schneewind covers all areas relevant to the history of East Asia from c. 1200 BC to c. 1200 AD. There is no glossary or index, though terms are well-defined within the text. read more
In An Outline of East Asia to 1200, Sarah Schneewind covers all areas relevant to the history of East Asia from c. 1200 BC to c. 1200 AD. There is no glossary or index, though terms are well-defined within the text.
The book is accurate, error-free, written with much historical objectivity, and is based on solid sources.
This is the second edition, so the author seems keen on keeping this book up to date. Also, the latest understandings of East Asia are brought out including the meta-theme of "two Chinas, Japan, and two Koreas."
This is clearly written in good prose that hits the target audience of American undergraduates. All technical terms are clearly and concisely defined. There is a good flow of theme as well as chronology.
This text has a consistent flow and logical framework.
This textbook is divided into a number of smaller reading sections that are easily assignable throughout the course. The tone of the author is professional and without bias, hyperbole, or hubris.
Topics are presented in a clear fashion and progress nicely based on region, theme, and chronology.
The work is easily navigatable with fine images and charts. It is enjoyable to read and is without unnecessary distractions.
There are no grammatical errors in this second edition.
This text is noticeably sensitive to issues of race, ethnicity, background, and regionalism. Examples from many cultural backgrounds are mentioned in the text.
This is fine work on roughly 2,400 years of East Asian history. Sarah Schneewind understates this as an "Outline." Her work easily ranks with the best textbooks for readability, conciseness, balance, and accuracy. The author mentions that this was not intended as a stand-alone textbook but that it should be accompanied by primary and other secondary sources, dates to memorize, and study questions. The reader will be delighted to see fine-colored pictures, as well as relevant maps and charts. Hyperlinks are included which will be a wonderful addition for the classroom or for assignments, and the volume concludes with a helpful bibliography.
Table of Contents
- Chapter One East Asia to 1045 BC
- Chapter Two The Zhou Period (1045 – 256 BC)
- Chapter Three From Warring States Two Empire (480 BC -207 BC)
- Chapter Four The Han Empire and Its Neighbors
- Chapter Five Religion and Society in Han (206 BC – AD 220)
- Chapter Six A World of Many Powers (AD 200 – AD 580)
- Chapter Seven Consolidating Unified Regimes (c. 500-780)
- Chapter Eight Aristocratic Societies 1: Tang and Silla
- Chapter Nine Aristocratic Societies 2: Hei’an Japan
- Chapter Ten The Commercial Revolution
Ancillary Material
About the Book
This is the second edition of the open access textbook that arose out of a course at the University of California, San Diego, called HILD 10: East Asia: The Great Tradition. The course covers what have become two Chinas, Japan, and two Koreas from roughly 1200 BC to about AD 1200. As we say every Fall in HILD 10: “2400 years, three countries, ten weeks, no problem.” The book does not stand alone: the teacher should assign primary and secondary sources, study questions, dates to be memorized, etc. The maps mostly use the same template to enable students to compare them one to the next.
The 1st edition is in the supplemental material tab.
About the Contributors
Author
Sarah Schneewind, UC San Diego