History & Area Studies / Thematic History / Political & Institutional History

Origins of Modern China-In The Origins of the Modern Chinese State, Philip Kuhn explores the inher

The Origins of the Modern Chinese State

Philip A. Kuhn

The Origins of the Chinese State: The Scholar-Official Class and Institutional Reform – The Origins of the Modern Chinese State (Philip A. Kuhn) 现代中国国家的起源：士大夫与体制改革 In *The Origins of the Modern Chinese State*, Philip Kuhn explores the inherent logic of China's evolution from the late Qing Empire to the modern state, emphasizing that this transformation was not a passive response to Western influence, but rather stemmed from China's long-standing constitutional system. Through analyzing the financial crisis, bureaucratic corruption, and resulting political decay since the generation of 1790, the author identifies three core dilemmas facing the late Qing Dynasty: how to mobilize politically repressed high-ranking scholars, how to absorb the surplus of educated elites, and how to govern a large population with a limited bureaucracy. The book focuses on the contributions of thinkers such as Wei Yuan and Feng Guifen, pointing out that they attempted to enhance the state's governance functions by increasing the participation of scholars without compromising central authority, thus addressing the problem of grassroots governance being hampered by the intermediary system and overall governance issues. The author also reflects on the historical relationship between the Qing Dynasty's tax system (such as the right to collect grain) and the 20th-century collectivization movement, arguing that eliminating taxation and linking it to the state's ability to penetrate rural areas in relation to national defense are ongoing issues throughout modern Chinese history. Ultimately, the book aims to reveal how the current state of the modern Chinese state was gradually achieved by reintegrating power and expanding the political base, building upon the internal contradictions and political legacy of the old system.