The Rise and Fall of Imperial China: The Social Origins of State Development

China was once the world’s leading superpower for almost two millennia, falling behind only in the last two centuries and now rising to dominance again. What factors led to imperial China’s decline? On Friday, February 25, UBC’s Centre for Chinese Research hosted Yuhua Wang to discuss his new book The Rise and Fall of Imperial China, which offers a systematic look at the Chinese state from the seventh century through to the twentieth. Speaker Bio: Dr. Yuhua Wang is the Frederick S. Danziger Associate Professor of Government at Harvard University. He is the author of Tying the Autocrat’s Hands: The Rise of the Rule of Law in China (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and The Rise and Fall of Imperial China: The Social Origins of State Development (Princeton University Press, 2022). Yuhua received his B.A. from Peking University and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Commentator: Dr. Kerry Brown Moderator: Dr. Timothy Cheek