Changing Conceptions of National History in Twentieth-Century China

Recognizing that in traditional China “dynastic history” was the dominant historiographical paradigm, this essay describes the quiet revolution in historical thought that led to a paradigmatic shift in Chinese historiography from “dynastic history” to “national history.” It discusses the changes that took place between 1917 and 1937, or the golden age of Chinese historiography. It ends with Qian Mu’s magisterial Outline History of the Nation as a national history for all Chinese.