Page 115 - SYU Prospectus

History

HIST 440 Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: Economic and Social Change since 1978
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course analyses the changes in the nature and degree of linkage between Hong
Kong and Guangdong’s Pearl River Delta (PRD) since the early 20th century till the recent
past. The year 1978 is used as an important turning point to highlight how the nature of
Guangdong-centred political impact on Hong Kong shifted to a Hong Kong-centred economic
impact on the PRD as historical circumstances changed before and after that year. The
degree of linkage, especially economic, social and cultural also evolved in the post-1978
years, from interdependency between Hong Kong and the PRD to a closer integration
between the two areas. This process of the integration, nevertheless, is extending to a much
broader geographical area, the Pan-Pearl River Delta region, between the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region and its neighbours.

HIST 441 Taiwan: Past and Present
1 Term; 3 Credits
As a successful political and economic model in the past three decades in Asia, Taiwan
plays an important role of historical development of the Greater China region. Moreover, with
ever increasingly closer cross-strait interactions, communication between Hong Kong and
Taiwan becomes more and more frequent. Therefore, the need of understanding the history
and current situation of Taiwan has become inevitable.
This course covers Taiwan's course of history starting from 17th century to nowadays,
outlining characteristics of Taiwan's political, economic, social and cultural development in
different periods. Apart from historical point of view, the course will also focus on topics such
as election culture, cross-strait relations and popular culture and life.

HIST 450 China in the Contemporary World
1 Term; 3 Credits
This elective subject is the third in the series of “China and the World” to “bridge” the
Chinese History and World survey clusters. After a survey of China’s position and relations
with the World since the 21st century, the subject examines major issues in China’s often
stormy and argumentative interactions with other parts of the world in politics, economy,
values, health, environment, energy, resources, military, balance of power and mutual
perceptions, etc, with a special focus on its relations with the major powers since its dramatic
economic reforms in the 1970s.

HIST 460 Intellectual History of Modern China
1 Term; 3 Credits
This is a history of the intellectual odyssey of the modern Chinese intelligentsia from late
Qing through the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. Increasingly alienated from the
old order after the abortive 1898 reforms, and confronted with the need for national survival,
members of the highly nationalist intelligentsia rejected Chinese, specifically Confucian,

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