DSE Chinese History: Complete Course Guide

The development of Chinese history

• From the pre-Qin era to the Han dynasty: covers China’s earliest feudal system, the era of divided feudal lords and the changes of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, with particular focus on the unification of the Qin and Han dynasties and the establishment of a centralised system of government.
• From the Three Kingdoms to the Sui and Tang dynasties: focuses on the struggles for supremacy during the Three Kingdoms period and the golden ages of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and their influence on Chinese politics, the economy and culture.
• The Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties: analyses the civil administration and economic prosperity of the Song dynasty, the multi-ethnic regime and social changes of the Yuan dynasty, and the political decline and feudal economic changes of the Ming and Qing periods.

Chinese society and culture

• Confucian thought and political ideas: learn how Confucian thought shaped China’s political system and social structure, and how it developed and changed across different periods.
• China’s scientific, technological and cultural achievements: explore the major achievements of ancient China in science, technology, art, philosophy and literature, and analyse their contribution to world civilisation.

Modern Chinese history

• Modern and contemporary history: beginning with the Opium War, study the decline of the Qing dynasty, the founding of the Republic and the internal and external difficulties it faced, up to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and analyse modern China’s reform and opening-up and its impact on the international community.

Mastering the sequence of historical events

• The timeline method: build a timeline of historical events, marking out important events, figures and social changes to help memorise the course of historical development.
• Combining events with context: when studying each historical event, don’t just memorise the basic storyline — understand the background, causes and consequences of its occurrence.

In-depth analysis and critical thinking

• Problem-based learning: learn by posing specific historical questions (such as “Why was the Tang dynasty able to achieve its golden age?”). This helps students move beyond the surface when analysing history and understand the causes and effects behind the problems.
• The comparative method: compare China’s historical development with that of other countries, for example the differences between China’s imperial examination system and Western electoral systems, or the differences in social structure between China and the West during the same period.

Integrating historical sources

• Learning from multiple sources: beyond the textbook, read a wide range of historical documents, academic articles and historical films and footage to understand history from different perspectives.
• Training in historical essay writing: write history essays or reports regularly, synthesising what you have learned and using source analysis to support your own arguments.

Related university subjects

History, Cultural Studies, Political Science, International Relations, East Asian Studies and more.

Career pathways

Historian, museum curator, international relations specialist, cultural heritage conservation professional, media professional and more.

Time allocation by paper

• Paper 1: about 45 minutes per question (including 5 minutes’ planning time).
• Paper 2: about 60 minutes per question.

Action tips

• Regularly review historical events and build connection maps between them to aid memory.
• Write one history analysis essay each month to apply what you have learned in an integrated way.
• Attend history talks or discussion groups to strengthen your understanding of and critical engagement with history.