62021001 Asian History A

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2026Year School/Graduate School Liberal Arts Education Program

Lecture Code 62021001 Subject Classification Area Courses

Subject Name アジア史Ａ

Subject Name
（Katakana）アジアシA

Subject Name in
English Asian History A

Instructor GAO XIAOYAN

Instructor
(Katakana) コウ　ギョウゲン

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year, First Semester, 1Term

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (1T) Mon1-4：IAS K303

Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details) Face-to-face

Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 4 Language of Instruction J : Japanese

Course Level 1 : Undergraduate Introductory

Course Area（Area） 23 : Arts and Humanities

Course Area（Discipline） 07 : History

Eligible Students

Keywords Asian history; Chinese history; history of Chinese politics; People’s Republic of China; Chinese Civil War; Chinese Communist Party; Chinese Nationalist Party; socialist construction; the Great Leap Forward; the Cultural Revolution; Reform and Opening Up; Mao Zedong; Chiang Kai-shek; State-building; Penetration of state power

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status within
Liberal Arts Education Area Courses（Courses in Arts and Humanities/Social Sciences)　Category：Anthropology / Geography / History
Expected Outcome 1. To be able to explain the formation and development processes and contemporary issues of each academic discipline.
2. To be able to explain historical and contemporary issues that span multiple academic disciplines from multifaceted perspectives.

Class Objectives
/Class Outline This lecture focuses on the history of the People’s Republic of China, covering the period from the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party to the era of reform and opening up. It offers a concise overview of how the PRC was founded amid international wars and domestic turmoil, and examines what the socialist project achieved as well as where it fell short.

Class Schedule lesson1　Orientation
lesson2　The May Fourth Movement and the Founding of the Chinese Communist Party
lesson3　The Chinese Communist Party before 1949
lesson4　The Chinese Civil War and the Establishment of the People’s Republic of China
lesson5　The Chinese Communist Party’s Consolidation of Power in the Early Years of the PRC
lesson6　The Formation of the Cold War Structure in Asia
lesson7　The Constitution of the PRC: The President and the National People's Congress
lesson8　Politics in the PRC : The Ideal of Collective Leadership and Its Failure
lesson9　Socialist Construction and the PRC: Controlled Economy, the Development of Heavy Industry and Agricultural Collectivization
lesson10　“Rule of Law” in the early PRC: Socialist Legality and its demise in China
lesson11　The Formation of Mao Zedong’s Personal Rule and the Launch of the Great Leap Forward
lesson12　Foreign Relations in the 1950s and 1960s — U.S.–China, Japan–China, and Sino–Soviet Relations
lesson13　The Outbreak of the Cultural Revolution
lesson14　The End of the Cultural Revolution and the Start of Reform and Opening Up
lesson15　Conclusion

A final examination will be conducted in which handwritten or printed materials are permitted.

Text/Reference
Books,etc. Reference Materials:
[IN JAPANESE] Yoshizawa Seiichirō, Shinchō to Kindai Sekai. Iwanami Shoten, 2010.
[IN JAPANESE] Ishikawa Yoshihiro, Kakumei to Nashonarizumu. Iwanami Shoten, 2010.
[IN JAPANESE] Kawashima Shin, Kindai Kokka e no Mosaku. Iwanami Shoten, 2010.
[IN JAPANESE] Kubo Tōru, Shakaishugi e no Chōsen. Iwanami Shoten, 2011.
[IN JAPANESE] Takahara Akio and Maeda Hiroko, Kaihatsu Shugi no Jidai e. Iwanami Shoten, 2014.
[IN JAPANESE] Nishimura Shigeo, Chūgoku no Kin Gendaishi o Dō Miru ka Iwanami Shoten, 2017.
Andrew G. Walder, China Under Mao: A Revolution Derailed, Harvard University Press, 2015.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc.

(More Details)

Learning techniques to be incorporated

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review Session 1: None
Session 2: Understand the domestic and international background that led to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Session 3: Examine the process of nation-state building under the Chinese Nationalist Party and the position of the Chinese Communist Party within that process.
Session 4: Understand, the reasons for the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War and the reasons for the Chinese Communist Party’s victory.
Session 5: Understand the political developments in the early years of the People’s Republic of China.
Session 6: Understand the origins of the Korean Peninsula issue and the Taiwan issue.
Session 7: Understand the basic characteristics of the PRC’s constitution.
Session 8: Understand political practices within the Chinese Communist Party and the 1954 vision for the political system of the PRC and consider why political practice and institutional design did not align.
Session 9: Understand what Socialism means. Pay close attention to the contemporary characteristics of socialist construction in China through comparison with the Soviet Union and socialist states in Eastern Europe.
Session 10: Understand the concept of “Socialist Legality,” how it developed in China and why it ultimately failed.
Session 11: Understand the political process leading to the launch of the Great Leap Forward.
Session 12: Understand the formation of U.S. policy of containment toward China, Japan’s China policy, and the transformation of Sino-Soviet relations from alliance to antagonism.
Session 13: Understand the political crisis in China after the Great Leap Forward and the process that led to the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution.
Session 14: Understand the establishment of the collective leadership system and the dismantling of the socialist economic system during the Reform and Opening-Up period.
Session 15: None.

Requirements

Grading Method In class performance (40%), Final examination (60%).

Practical Experience

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it

Message The instructor will offer off-course Q&A in English. However, please note that this course is conducted entirely in Japanese. A Japanese language proficiency level above JLPT N2 is required to participate. Although the final examination will not assess Japanese writing ability itself, an above-average level of Japanese writing proficiency is required. The instructor will not provide accommodations or remedies for students who underperform due to language proficiency issues.

Other

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2026Year	School/Graduate School	Liberal Arts Education Program
Lecture Code	62021001	Subject Classification	Area Courses
Subject Name	アジア史Ａ
Subject Name （Katakana）	アジアシA
Subject Name in English	Asian History A
Instructor	GAO XIAOYAN
Instructor (Katakana)	コウ　ギョウゲン
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	1st-Year, First Semester, 1Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(1T) Mon1-4：IAS K303
Lesson Style	Lecture	Lesson Style (More Details)	Face-to-face

Credits	2.0	Class Hours/Week	4	Language of Instruction	J : Japanese
Course Level	1 : Undergraduate Introductory
Course Area（Area）	23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area（Discipline）	07 : History
Eligible Students
Keywords	Asian history; Chinese history; history of Chinese politics; People’s Republic of China; Chinese Civil War; Chinese Communist Party; Chinese Nationalist Party; socialist construction; the Great Leap Forward; the Cultural Revolution; Reform and Opening Up; Mao Zedong; Chiang Kai-shek; State-building; Penetration of state power
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Liberal Arts Education	Area Courses（Courses in Arts and Humanities/Social Sciences)　Category：Anthropology / Geography / History
Expected Outcome	1. To be able to explain the formation and development processes and contemporary issues of each academic discipline. 2. To be able to explain historical and contemporary issues that span multiple academic disciplines from multifaceted perspectives.
Class Objectives /Class Outline	This lecture focuses on the history of the People’s Republic of China, covering the period from the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party to the era of reform and opening up. It offers a concise overview of how the PRC was founded amid international wars and domestic turmoil, and examines what the socialist project achieved as well as where it fell short.
Class Schedule	lesson1　Orientation lesson2　The May Fourth Movement and the Founding of the Chinese Communist Party lesson3　The Chinese Communist Party before 1949 lesson4　The Chinese Civil War and the Establishment of the People’s Republic of China lesson5　The Chinese Communist Party’s Consolidation of Power in the Early Years of the PRC lesson6　The Formation of the Cold War Structure in Asia lesson7　The Constitution of the PRC: The President and the National People's Congress lesson8　Politics in the PRC : The Ideal of Collective Leadership and Its Failure lesson9　Socialist Construction and the PRC: Controlled Economy, the Development of Heavy Industry and Agricultural Collectivization lesson10　“Rule of Law” in the early PRC: Socialist Legality and its demise in China lesson11　The Formation of Mao Zedong’s Personal Rule and the Launch of the Great Leap Forward lesson12　Foreign Relations in the 1950s and 1960s — U.S.–China, Japan–China, and Sino–Soviet Relations lesson13　The Outbreak of the Cultural Revolution lesson14　The End of the Cultural Revolution and the Start of Reform and Opening Up lesson15　Conclusion A final examination will be conducted in which handwritten or printed materials are permitted.
Text/Reference Books,etc.	Reference Materials: [IN JAPANESE] Yoshizawa Seiichirō, Shinchō to Kindai Sekai. Iwanami Shoten, 2010. [IN JAPANESE] Ishikawa Yoshihiro, Kakumei to Nashonarizumu. Iwanami Shoten, 2010. [IN JAPANESE] Kawashima Shin, Kindai Kokka e no Mosaku. Iwanami Shoten, 2010. [IN JAPANESE] Kubo Tōru, Shakaishugi e no Chōsen. Iwanami Shoten, 2011. [IN JAPANESE] Takahara Akio and Maeda Hiroko, Kaihatsu Shugi no Jidai e. Iwanami Shoten, 2014. [IN JAPANESE] Nishimura Shigeo, Chūgoku no Kin Gendaishi o Dō Miru ka Iwanami Shoten, 2017. Andrew G. Walder, China Under Mao: A Revolution Derailed, Harvard University Press, 2015.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.
(More Details)
Learning techniques to be incorporated
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	Session 1: None Session 2: Understand the domestic and international background that led to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Session 3: Examine the process of nation-state building under the Chinese Nationalist Party and the position of the Chinese Communist Party within that process. Session 4: Understand, the reasons for the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War and the reasons for the Chinese Communist Party’s victory. Session 5: Understand the political developments in the early years of the People’s Republic of China. Session 6: Understand the origins of the Korean Peninsula issue and the Taiwan issue. Session 7: Understand the basic characteristics of the PRC’s constitution. Session 8: Understand political practices within the Chinese Communist Party and the 1954 vision for the political system of the PRC and consider why political practice and institutional design did not align. Session 9: Understand what Socialism means. Pay close attention to the contemporary characteristics of socialist construction in China through comparison with the Soviet Union and socialist states in Eastern Europe. Session 10: Understand the concept of “Socialist Legality,” how it developed in China and why it ultimately failed. Session 11: Understand the political process leading to the launch of the Great Leap Forward. Session 12: Understand the formation of U.S. policy of containment toward China, Japan’s China policy, and the transformation of Sino-Soviet relations from alliance to antagonism. Session 13: Understand the political crisis in China after the Great Leap Forward and the process that led to the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution. Session 14: Understand the establishment of the collective leadership system and the dismantling of the socialist economic system during the Reform and Opening-Up period. Session 15: None.
Requirements
Grading Method	In class performance (40%), Final examination (60%).
Practical Experience
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it
Message	The instructor will offer off-course Q&A in English. However, please note that this course is conducted entirely in Japanese. A Japanese language proficiency level above JLPT N2 is required to participate. Although the final examination will not assess Japanese writing ability itself, an above-average level of Japanese writing proficiency is required. The instructor will not provide accommodations or remedies for students who underperform due to language proficiency issues.
Other
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Back to syllabus main page