Home>Course>[CHES5153] China and World History in the Twentieth Century>CHES5153

In this course, we will explore Chinese history by reading and examining travel accounts and memoirs written by Chinese and foreign writers in China. These texts contain personal stories in which the writers describe their experience of events, people and locations in a certain historical period. Given our present location, some of the topics focus on Hong Kong, the city in between the mainland and the West. To situate the authors‘ travel accounts and memoirs in historical context, we will also read historical texts relevant to the period in the history of China. The combination of personal stories and historical narratives will give a fascinating insight into Chinese history, from micro to macro perspectives. Theories and theoretical concepts that are essential to the study of this type of autobiographical writing, such as Otherness, Orientalism, Gender, and the Rhetoric of the Visual, will be introduced to help interpret the texts and their characteristics. 

1. Introduction to Travel Accounts and Memoirs: Literature, History and Theories
2. Pre–1900 Travel Accounts and Chinese History
3. Late Qing Dynasty: Women in China
4. Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945): Triumph and Tragedy
5. Post-War China: The New Establishment
6. Fieldtrip in Hong Kong
7. Cultural Revolution (1966–1976): A Memoir by a Sent-Down Youth
8. Hong Kong in the 1950s: A Childhood Memoir
9. White Terror in the 1960s: Politics and Food
10. Opening Up and Reforms in the Early 1980s: New Trends
11. River Town in the Late 1990s: International Relationships
12. An Imaginary History of Hong Kong: A Literary Journey
13. Review and Conclusion