Page 99 - HKSYU Prospectus 2023-24

History

3) China-Hong Kong relations
By using innovative teaching activities such as lectures, literature reading, discussions,
and field trips, supplemented by the use of multimedia to assist in teaching, the course aims to
enable students to grasp the main context of the historical development of Hong Kong during
the colonial period and critically examine Hong Kong’s status as an international metropolis. In
addition, the course hopes to provide specific basic knowledge for students interested in Hong
Kong studies for their further study.

HIST 310 History of Song and Yuan Dynasties
1 Term; 3 Credits
Song and Yuan are the most misunderstood, underestimated and ignored dynasties in
Chinese history. This period starts from Emperor Taizu established Song in Kaifeng in 960 and
ends in 1368 when Emperor Shun of Yuan escaped to Magnolia from Dadu (Beijing). During
the 409 years, there are also contemporary powers such as Liao which was established even
earlier than Northern Song, Xixia and Jin founded in the middle and later period of Northern
Song. Middle school textbooks and many popular reading materials are often filled with
outdated viewpoints that Song was a weak dynasty that only values literature, or Yuan was
backward and violent. This course aims to reintroduce the historic facts and achievements of
Song and Yuan dynasties in political, military, diplomatic, social, economic, and cultural areas.
Through the latest research achievements, students will acquire advanced understanding of
the history of this period.

HIST 311 History of Ming and Qing Dynasties
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course will mainly introduce significant historic events and academic topics in the
Ming and Qing period of Chinese History. The lecture part of this course will start from the
context of traditional political history, and analyse specific topics such as social, cultural,
historical geography, and interactions of peoples. Critical reading of paradigms on certain
research fields will also be held during class, to encourage students investigate related themes
of history.

HIST 312 Modern China (1840-1949)
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course focuses on the great transformations, such as the collapse of the Qing
dynasty and the rise and fall of the Republic of China, in modern China that lasted for over a
century. The course analyses the major political, military, diplomatic, and economic events
occurring during this period and their causes and consequences to guide the students to
objectively examine the painful process in China of salvation and survival when the nation
faced unprecedented changes in the past three millennia because of the aggressions of the
Great Powers. It explores the causes and processes that led to the disintegration of the two-
millennia-long imperial system, the aberration of the democratic and republican systems, and
the rise of party-state politics during this period to gain insights into modern Chinese history.

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