Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power

Yan XuetongEdited by Daniel A. Bell & Sun ZheTranslated by Edmund RydenWith a new preface by the author

"China's great thinkers from the time of Confucius are known for their profound contributions to philosophy, ethics, and military strategy. Less appreciated in the West is their sophisticated thinking about statecraft. The incessant conflicts among the fragmented principalities that eventually formed a unified China in 221 BC produced a rich flowering of conceptual thinking on issues of governance and interstate relations. In this fascinating study, inquiring readers will find a wealth of information regarding how ancient China's strategic sages assessed the factors determining the success or failure of rulers and states, with immediate relevance for better understanding the implications of China's current rise to wealth and power."--Dr. Henry A. Kissinger

Acknowledgments vii A Note on the Translation ix Preface to the Paperback Edition xi Introduction by Daniel A. Bell 1 PART I: Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power Chapter 1: A Comparative Study of Pre-Qin Interstate Political Philosophy byYan Xuetong 21 Chapter 2: Xunzi's Interstate Political Philosophy and Its Message for Today by Yan Xuetong 70 Chapter 3: Hegemony in The Stratagems of the Warring States by Yan Xuetong and Huang Yuxing 107 PART II: Comments Chapter 4: An Examination of the Research Theory of Pre-Qin Interstate Political Philosophy byYang Qianru 147 Chapter 5: The Two Poles of Confucianism: A Comparison of the Interstate Political Philosophies of Mencius and Xunzi by Xu Jin 161 Chapter 6: Political Hegemony in Ancient China: A Review of "Hegemony in The Stratagems of the Warring States" by Wang Rihua 181 PART III: Response to the Commentators Chapter 7: Pre-Qin Philosophy and China's Rise Today by Yan Xuetong 199 Appendix 1: The Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods and the Pre-Qin Masters by Xu Jin 223 Appendix 2: Yan Xuetong: A Realist Scholar Clinging to Scientific Prediction by Lu Xin 229 Appendix 3: Why Is There No Chinese School of International Relations Theory? By Yan Xuetong 252 Notes 261 Select Bibliography 283 Contributors 291 Index 293