This course examines 10 pivotal Chinese reformers in modern history (including Luo Fangbo, 1738–1795, Li Hung-Chang, 1823–1901, Sun Yat-sen 1866–1925, Liang Qichao 1873–1929, Chiang Kai-shek 1887–1975, Mao Zedong 1893–1976, Deng Xiaoping 1904–1997, Chiang Ching-kuo 1910–1988, Lee Kuan Yew 1923–2015, and Lee Teng-hui 1923–2020), tracing the evolution of modern political institutions across China, and Southeast Asia. Students will explore how these figures championed constitutionalism, republicanism, state-building, and democratisation within distinct cultural and ideological contexts. Ideal for students of political history, Chinese studies, and international relations.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Wang, Gungwu (1992). Community and Nation: China, Southeast Asia and Australia. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN: 1863733728
• Wang, Gungwu (2000). The Chinese Overseas: From Earthbound China to the Quest for Autonomy (The Edwin O. Reischauer Lectures). Harvard University Press. ISBN: 0674002342
• Samuel C. Chu, Kwang-Ching Liu, 1993, Li Hung-Chang and China's Early Modernization, Routledge. ISBN: 978-1563242427
• Reid, Anthony (2000). Charting the Shape of Early Modern Southeast Asia. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books. ISBN: 9789812300898
• Fung, Edmund S.K. (2000). In Search of Chinese Democracy: Civil Opposition in Nationalist China. 1929–1949. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9780511471018
• Chang, Hao (1971). Liang Ch’i-ch’ao and Intellectual Transition in China, 1890–1907. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN: 978-0674732391
• Levenson, Joseph R. (1968). Confucian China and Its Modern Fate: A Trilogy. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN: 978-1597405928
• Schiffrin, Harold Z. (2010). Sun Yat-sen and the Origins of the Chinese Revolution. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520017528
• Spence, Jonathan D. (2001). The Search for Modern China. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN: 9780393307801
• Taylor, Jay (2009). The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN: 9780674060494
• Timothy Cheek, 2002, Mao Zedong and China’s Revolutions: A Brief History with Documents, Bedford. ISBN: 978-0312256265
• Ezra F. Vogel, 2013, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press. ISBN: 9780674725867
• Ray S. Cline, 1993, Chiang Ching-kuo Remembered: The Man and His Political Legacy. SIFT, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0943057019
• S. Tsai, 2005, Lee Teng-hui and Taiwan's Quest for Identity. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN-13: 978-1403970565
• Copper, John F. (2020). Taiwan: Nation-State or Province?. 7th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. ISBN: 978-1138337749

COURSE OUTLINE

• Early Pioneers of Chinese Republicanism: Luo Fangbo and the Lanfang Republic as the earliest experiment in Chinese self-governance overseas.
• Late Qing and Constitutional Reformers: Ho Kai and Liang Qichao’s efforts in legal modernisation, civic education, and monarchic constitutionalism.
• Revolutionaries and Nation-Builders: Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek’s founding of the Republic of China and modern state structures.
• Socialist Transformation and Economic Reform: Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping’s contrasting roles in restructuring Chinese society and the economy.
• Democratic Transitions in Taiwan and Singapore: Chiang Ching-kuo, Lee Teng-hui, and Lee Kuan Yew's reforms leading toward state modernisation and democratisation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify key figures and political ideologies that shaped Chinese governance from the 18th to 21st centuries.
2. Analyse the interaction between reformist thought, state-building, and social transformation in diverse Chinese-speaking societies.
3. Compare institutional models such as monarchy, socialism, and liberal democracy across historical contexts.
4. Evaluate the legacy and relevance of Chinese reformers in today’s political discourse within Asia.