Introduction / IChapter One: Chinese and Western Civilizations: Concentric Circles and Jigsaws / 0011.1 Division vs. Unification1.2 The West: Oceans and Centrifugal Forces1.3 China: Farming and Centripetal Forces1.4 Concentric Circles vs. JigsawsChapter Two: From the Shang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty: Retreat of Shangdi and Prominence of “Virtues” / 0132.1 Yin Shang: The Rapid Demise of a Powerful Dynasty2.2 Shangdi: Sources of Shang’s Destiny of Heaven2.3 Virtue: Discovery of the Zhou Dynasty2.4 People-oriented: Essence of the Rule by Virtue2.5 The Patriarchal Clan System: Maintaining Stability of the Political Community2.6 Feudalism: Initial Construction of a Large Country2.7 The Tianxia System and Civilization of Rituals and Music2.8 The Tianxia System vs. Greek City-State PoliticsChapter Three: From the Zhou Dynasty to the Qin and Han Dynasties: Failure of Feudalism and Establishment of Counties / 0453.1 Total Collapse of Feudal Order3.2 Background of Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought: Centralization of Power and Escalation of War3.3 Confucius: The Restoration of Rituals and Music, and Cultivation of Scholars (I)3.4 Confucius: The Concentric Circles Structure of Benevolence (II)3.5 Mozi: Equal Love and Organizational Building3.6 Laozi: Self-control of Power3.7 Legalism: Strict “Performance Management”3.8 The Qin Dynasty: The First Unified State with a System of Prefectures and Counties3.9 The Systematic Process of “Great Unification”3.10 The Han Dynasty: Dong Zhongshu and Prevalence of Confucianism3.11 Development of Enlightenment and Cultivation of Customs3.12 Integration Degree: Qin and Han Dynasties vs. the Roman EmpireChapter Four: Changes between the Tang and Song Dynasties: End of In?uential Clan Society and Rise of Civilian Society / 1014.1 Rise of Influential Clan Society and Its Influence4.2 Wei, Jin, Southern, and Northern Dynasties: Era of Great Division4.3 Sui and Tang Dynasties: Integrating Grassland and Farming 4.4 The “Terminator” of Influential Clan Society: The Imperial Examination System4.5 Scholar-officials and Emperor Ruling Country Together4.6 Third-party Observations on the Imperial Examination System4.7 Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty and Reorganization of Civilian Society4.8 The Ming Dynasty under the Early Modern World SystemChapter Five: From the Yuan to Qing Dynasties: An Era into “Great China” / 1555.1 South-North Relations: Farming and Nomadism5.2 Great Contribution of Nomadic People5.3 The Yuan Dynasty: The “Great China” Era Opened in Full Swing5.4 The Ming Dynasty: Maintenance and Deepening of “Great China”5.5 The Qing Dynasty: Full Integration of “Great China”5.6 Different Fates of the Qing Dynasty and Two Cotemporaneous EmpiresSummary / 189Postscript / 207