The study of world history, as distinct from national history, has
existed in many world cultures. However, early forms of world history
were not truly global, and were limited to only the regions known by the
historian.
In Ancient China, Chinese world history, that of China and the surrounding people of East Asia, was based on the dynastic cycle articulated by Sima Qian in circa 100 BC. Sima Qian's model is based on the Mandate of Heaven. Rulers rise when they united China, then are overthrown when a ruling dynasty became corrupt.Each new dynasty begins virtuous and strong, but then decays, provoking
the transfer of Heaven's mandate to a new ruler. The test of virtue in a
new dynasty is success in being obeyed by China and neighboring
barbarians. After 2000 years Sima Qian's model still dominates
scholarship, although the dynastic cycle is no longer used for modern Chinese history.
In Ancient Greece, Herodotus (5th century BC), as founder of Greek historiography,
presents insightful and lively discussions of the customs, geography,
and history of Mediterranean peoples, particularly the Egyptians.
However, his great rival Thucydides
promptly discarded Herodotus's all-embracing approach to history,
offering instead a more precise, sharply focused monograph, dealing not
with vast empires over the centuries but with 27 years of war between
Athens and Sparta. In Rome, the vast, patriotic history of Rome by Livy
(59 BC-17 AD) approximated Herodotean inclusiveness; Polybius (c.200-c.118 BC) aspired to combine the logical rigor of Thucydides with the scope of Herodotus.
In Central Asia, The Secret History of Mongols
is regarded as the single significant native Mongolian account of
Genghis Khan. The Secret History is regarded as a piece of classic
literature in both Mongolia and the rest of the world.
World history became a popular genre in the 20th century with universal history.
In the 1920s, several best-sellers dealt with the history of the world, including surveys The Story of Mankind (1921) by Hendrik Willem van Loon and The Outline of History (1918) by H.G. Wells.
Influential writers who have reached wide audiences include H. G. Wells, Oswald Spengler, Arnold J. Toynbee, Pitirim Sorokin, Carroll Quigley, Christopher Dawson, and Lewis Mumford. Scholars working the field include Eric Voegelin,William Hardy McNeill and Michael Mann.
Spengler's Decline of the West
(2 vol 1919–1922) compared nine organic cultures: Egyptian (3400
BC-1200 BC), Indian (1500 BC-1100 BC), Chinese (1300 BC-AD 200),
Classical (1100 BC-400 BC), Byzantine (AD 300–1100), Aztec (AD
1300–1500), Arabian (AD 300–1250), Mayan (AD 600–960), and Western (AD
900–1900). His book was a smashing success among intellectuals worldwide
as it predicted the disintegration of European and American
civilization after a violent "age of Caesarism," arguing by detailed
analogies with other civilizations. It deepened the post-World War I
pessimism in Europe, and was warmly received by intellectuals in China,
India, and Latin America who hoped his predictions of the collapse of
European empires would soon come true.
In 1936–1954, Toynbee's ten-volume A Study of History
came out in three separate installments. He followed Spengler in taking
a comparative topical approach to independent civilizations. Toynbee
said they displayed striking parallels in their origin, growth, and
decay. Toynbee rejected Spengler's biological model of civilizations as
organisms with a typical life span of 1,000 years. Like Sima Qian,
Toynbee explained decline as due to their moral failure. Many readers
rejoiced in his implication (in vols. 1–6) that only a return to some
form of Catholicism could halt the breakdown of western civilization
which began with the Reformation. Volumes 7–10, published in 1954,
abandoned the religious message, and his popular audience slipped away,
while scholars picked apart his mistakes.,
McNeill wrote The Rise of the West
(1963) to improve upon Toynbee by showing how the separate
civilizations of Eurasia interacted from the very beginning of their
history, borrowing critical skills from one another, and thus
precipitating still further change as adjustment between traditional old
and borrowed new knowledge and practice became necessary. McNeill took a
broad approach organized around the interactions of peoples across the
Earth. Such interactions have become both more numerous and more
continual and substantial in recent times. Before about 1500, the
network of communication between cultures was that of Eurasia. The term
for these areas of interaction differ from one world historian to
another and include world-system and ecumene. Whatever it is called, the importance of these intercultural contacts has begun to be recognized by many scholars.
Well-conducted, and with good health status.
1. Application Form
Please upload your finished application form here.
2. Health certificate
Photocopy of notarized foreigner physical examination record (for durations of study over 6 months)
3. Financial support statement
Official Bank Statement(equivalent to RMB150,000.00)
4. Resume
Written in Chinese or in English
5. Study plan
Study plan (on less than 800 words in English or Chinese)
6. Commitment Letter
[only for Confucius Scholarship]Commitment
Letter in Chinese with your signature. The applicant will be engaged in
Chinese language teaching for at least 5 years after graduation (written
in Chinese and signed)
7. Passport photo
A recent passport-sized photo of the applicant
8. Certificate of HSK
Certificate of HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test)
9. Photocopy of valid passport
With name, passport number & expiration date, and photo included
10. Certificate/diploma of highest education
Graduation certificate in languages other
than Chinese or English should be translated into Chinese or English and
be certified by notarization.
11. Academic transcript of highest education
A photocopy of the transcript
Applicants should offer a photocopies of their notarized final schooling
certificate and school report in Chinese or English version.
12. Two letters of recommendation
From professor or associate professor or equivalents
13. Personal Statement
Written in Chinese (1000 words for Master
Degree candidate and 1500 words for Doctor Degree candidate). Should
present education background, work experience, academic research
results, research proposal, and personal development plan and etc.
14. Copy of article or papers published
The indexes and abstracts of published theses/dissertation or other materials to prove applicant's research ability.
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Answer: Yes. ACASC gives the applicants, the chance to directly apply to their desired universities through our online application portal. We have synchronized our system to create a simple platform that connects universities and colleges in China to international students all around the world.
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The main cause of a pending application is usually incomplete application documents. As a result you will be requested by the school’s admission office to re-check and modify all submitted application documents or perhaps even add extra documents and then re-submit them.
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Processing time varies for different applications. For example to process a degree program application requires more time than a Chinese language application. Confirmation for Chinese language application by the admission office usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. However, time for degree programs application differs. For example fall semester application processing is after March, and it takes a period of 1 to 2 months. This also depends on your qualification and the number of applicants.
