HST300.2 Exploring Beijing: The Historical Geography of the Chinese Capital (Fall, Spring)

To understand China is in some sense to understand Beijing, a city that has served as China’s capital for seven hundred years. This course will help you make sense of this fascinating city by surveying the city’s formation and evolution. Few cities in the world have a historical record as long or as well-documented as Beijing’s. This course will rely on carefully selected historical materials to illustrate the changing landscape of Beijing—from Kublai Khan’s Mongol headquarters, to the home of Ming and Qing emperors; from a Republican city to the Red Capital of Communist China.

In addition to classroom time, Beijing is introduced through field trips, film screenings and fiction reading, allowing students to experience the history and geography of this ancient city at close range.

This course can also be registered as GEO 300.2.

Department: History

Locations: Beijing, Tsinghua

Semesters: Fall, Spring

Credits: 3