Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in History

Spring, 2022

Course Title: Sino-American Relations: History & Contemporary Issues

Course Code: HIST 470, Section I
Instructor: George C. Wei
Prerequisite: Nil
Class Time/Venue: 14:45-17:25, Tuesday/RHB108
Office/Office Hours: Main Building LG407/4-7PM, Thursday or by appointment
Office Phone/Email: 2804 8511/cwei@[Link]

Course Aims
This course starts with a historical review of the Sino-American relations. Its focus
will be put on the key events and their major contexts, patterns and consequences. It
then examines the major controversial and contentious issues in the field and follows
a range of selected issues in relation to the rise of Sino-American diplomatic conflicts
and contentions that lead to national, regional and global ramifications. The overall
aim of this course is to equip students with critical knowledge and skills to analyze the
making of the contemporary Sino-American relations through historical reflection.

Course Outcomes, Teaching Activities, Assessment and QF Credits

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)
Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
CILO1 identify the key players, events, factors and issues shaping Sino-
American relations since the 1784;
CILO2 analyze selected controversies/arguments in contemporary Sino-
American relations and their impact on the national, regional and
global order;
CILO3 conduct critical review of selected Chinese and American literatures
and schools of interpretations on selected issues;
CILO4 present research findings of Sino-American relations and perform
effective intellectual exchange in appropriate academic style.

Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)

TLA1 Lecture
The instructor introduces to students the key players, events, factors
and issues that have shaped Sino-American relations since the 1784 as
well as their causes and consequential impacts on the two countries
through first-hand source materials, documentaries, images, and
readings.
TLA2 Class Participation
The instructor suggests a range of historical online resources such as e-
resources in the university library and documentaries from YouTube
for class discussion during the lectures. Students are expected to
actively participate in class discussion, raise excellent questions and
address insightful and thoughtful points, trying to initiate and evolve in

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 some debates, rather than passively silent.
TLA3 Group Presentation
The class will be divided into 11 small groups to conduct a research
project by each of them with a topic chosen from a list of themes
suggested by the instructor, followed by a presentation on their
research result with well-designed PPT and excellent questions to lead
class discussion during tutorials. The group presentation will start from
the third week.
TLA4 Book Review
Students are required to write a review of a book chosen from the
reference list with 1,500 English words.

Assessment Tasks (ATs) Group Individual

AT1 Class Participation 25%
Students are expected to read all the
required readings ahead of classes and
lectures according to the class schedule,
and actively participate in class or group
discussions.
AT2 Group Presentation 15%
Dependent on the size of class, students
will be divided into groups with two to
four members to work on a topic set up
and scheduled by the instructor. Each of
the groups shall present (not read) their
research result with effective and well-
designed PPTs, critical views, as well as
rich information on source materials and
then lead a lively class discussion and
even debate after their presentation for
about 30 minutes from Week 3 to Week
14.
AT3 Book Report 20%
Students will write an individual report
in English on the book chosen from the
list of references attached to the syllabus,
with the length of at least 1,500 words, to
be submitted to Moodle and checked by
VeriGuide before the deadline. Through
the writing, students learn how to digest
and highlight the content and ideas of an
academic monograph and detect the
possible theoretical or methodological
flaws in the book through a critical and
close reading.
AT4 Term Paper 40%
Students are required to complete a term
paper of at least 3,500 words in English
or 4,500 words in Chinese by making a
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 powerful argument over a controversial
issue in the history of US-China
relations, which should differ from the
topic of other assignments, with original
ideas, in-depth analysis, critical
approach, innovative points and well
documented either primary or secondary
sources for support.
TOTAL 15% 80%

Alignment of Course Intended Learning Outcomes, Teaching and Learning

Activities and Assessment Tasks
Course Intended Teaching and Learning Assessment Tasks
Learning Outcomes Activities
CILO1 TLA1, 2, 3, 4 AT1, 2, 3, 4
CILO2 TLA1, 2, 3, 4 AT1, 2, 3, 4
CILO3 TLA3, 4 AT2, 3, 4
CILO4 TLA3, 4 AT2, 3, 4

Distribution of Notional Learning Hours / QF Credits

Activity Notional Learning Hours (NLHs)
(a) Contact Hours
Lecture 26
Tutorial 5
Group Presentation 8
Consultation 1
Total: 40
(b) Self-Study Hours
Reading 25
Preparation Group Presentation 15
Writing Book Report 15
Writing Term Paper 25
Total: 80

TOTAL NLHs: 120

(a)+(b)
QF Credits:
(TOTAL NLHs/10)

Academic Honesty
You are expected to do your own work. Dishonesty in fulfilling any assignment
undermines the learning process and the integrity of your degree. Engaging in
dishonest or unethical behavior is forbidden and will result in disciplinary action,
specifically a failing grade on the assignment with no opportunity for resubmission. A
second infraction will result in an F for the course and a report to University officials.
Examples of prohibited behavior include, but not limited to:

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  Cheating – an act of deception by which a student misleadingly demonstrates
that s/he has mastered information on an academic exercise. Examples
include, but not limited to:
 Copying or allowing another to copy a test, quiz, paper, or project;
 Submitting a paper or major portions of a paper that has been
previously submitted for another class without permission of the
current instructor;
 Turning in written assignments that are not your own work (including
homework);
 Plagiarism – the act of representing the work of another as one’s own without
giving credit:
 Failing to give credit for ideas and material taken from others;
 Representing another’s artistic or scholarly work as one’s own;
 Fabrication – the intentional use of invented information or the falsification of
research or other findings with the intent to deceive.

To comply with the University’s policy, any written work has to be submitted to
VeriGuide.

Assessment Rubrics for ATs

AT1: Class Participation (25%)
Grade Description
A Leading in discussions and highly critical and contributive in class
activities
B Constantly engaged and contributive in class activities
C Active but sometime passive engagement in class activities
D Some passive engagement in class activities
F No engagement in nor attention to class activities
AT2: Group Presentation (15%)
Grade Description
A Presenting in excellent organizational skills with well-designed PPTs.
Writing in specified format and style. Extensive sources consulted.
Creative perspective. Arguments solidly defended.
B Presenting with excellent information and fair organizational skills with
clear PPTs. Writing in specified format and style. Sufficient sources
consulted. Having a strong theme with strong arguments.
C Presenting with fair organizational skills. Writing in specified format and
style with some mistakes. Average sources consulted. Descriptive without
a strong theme.
D Supplying insufficient information. Points of argument are expressed but
not convincing enough. Answer tends to be rambling and disorganized.
F Poor presentation. Incomplete writing and PPTs. Not following instruction.
AT3: Book Report (20%)
Level Description
Grade An accurate, comprehensive and concise summary of the content and
argument of the book under review, with an insightful, in-depth and critical
evaluation. Working well on the class assignment in time.

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 A A comprehensive and concise outline of the main content and arguing
points of the book under review, with a fair evaluation. Working hard on
the class assignment in time
B Presenting with fair organizational skills. Writing in specified format and
style with some mistakes. Average sources consulted. Descriptive without
a strong theme.
C A comprehensive outline of the main content and arguing points of the
book under review, with little evaluation. Working fairly well on the class
assignment in time.
D Fail to make an outline of the main content and arguing points of the book
under review, with comments on something else. Fail to complete the class
assignment in time.
F Incomplete writing. Not following instruction.
AT4: Term Paper (40%)
Grade Description
A Making a compelling argument over a controversial issue in the history of
US-China relations based on a full literature review of the subject,
supported with both primary and second sources, written with excellent
English skill and style and clear structure.
B Making an interesting argument over a controversial issue in the history of
US-China relations based on a sufficient literature review of the subject,
supported with second sources, written with effective English skill and
clear structure.
C Making an argument over a controversial issue in the history of US-China
relations based on an insufficient literature review of the subject,
supported with limited second sources, written with readable English skill
and unclear structure.
D Making no argument over but an outline of a controversial issue in the
history of US-China relations based on irrelevant or little literature review
of the subject, without any solid evidence, written with poor English and
confusing structure.
F Writing a paper irrelevant to or failed to write a paper focusing on a
controversial issue in the history of US-China relations with no or totally
irrelevant literature review of the subject, no factual analysis and
unrecognizable English and chaotic structure.

Course Outline

Week 1/Jan 18: Introduction: Importance, Uniqueness & Points to Note in

Studying China-US Relations
Readings: Cohen, Warren I, America’s Response to China: “Prologue”, pp.1-7.
陶文釗，《 History of Sino-American Relations》第 1-30 頁。
《 A Complete History of Sino-American Relations》 1-6 頁。

Week 2/Jan 25: Early Sino-American Encounter: Contrasting Attitudes,

Policies towards trade and diplomacy & Consequences, 1784 – 1840s
Readings: Cohen, Warren I, America’s Response to China: Chapter I. pp.8-28.
《 A Complete History of Sino-American Relations》 1 章，第 1-22 頁。

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Week 3/Feb 1: Lunar New Year Holidays, No Class

Week 4/ Feb 8: Chinese in America: Immigration, Politics & Culture

Reading: 李小兵等著，(2003)《 Chinese in America: From History to Now》第 37-
125 頁。
1. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: What Went Wrong with
the Chinese in America?

Week 5/Feb 15: From Opium War to “Open Door”: Development of the
China-US “Special Relationship” Pattern, 1840s-1900s
Readings: Cohen, Warren I, America’s Response to China: Chapter II. pp. 29-
59.
項立嶺《 A Complete History of Sino-American Relations》 2-4 章， 第 23-106 頁。
2. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: Evaluation of the “Open
Door” Policy

Week 6/Feb 22: China and America between the World Wars, 1910s-1940s
Readings: Cohen, Warren I, America’s Response to China: Chapter III, pp. 60-
147.
項立嶺《 A Complete History of Sino-American Relations》 5-7 章，第 107-166 頁。
3. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: Still the Open Door
Policy?

Week 7/Mar 1: Reading Week

Week 8/Mar 8: The Cold War Period—The 1940s

Readings: Cohen, Warren I, America’s Response to China: Chapters IV, V &
VI, pp. 148-194.
陶文釗《 History of Sino-American Relations》 7-8 章，第 232-320 頁；中卷，第 1 章，第 9-
57 頁。
4. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: Who lost China?

Week 9/Mar 15: The Korean War and Consequences

Book Review Due
Readings: Bruce Comings, The Korean War: A History, Chapter I, pp. 1-36.
陶文釗《 History of Sino-American Relations》 7-8 章，第 336-360 頁。
5. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: Was the War Necessary
for China?

Week 10/Mar 22: Détente, Normalization & Tiananmen, 1970s-1990s

Readings: Cohen, Warren I, America’s Response to China: Chapter IX, pp.
215-231.
《 A Complete History of Sino-American Relations》 13-15 章，第 335-406 頁。
6. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: Cause of the
Normalization of the Sino-American Relations and Its Impact on
China’s Reform

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Week 11/Mar 29: China and the US in the Vastly Changed 21st Century
World—Trade War
Readings: 《 A Complete History of Sino-American Relations 》 16-17 章，第
407-466 頁；結束語，第 467-480 頁。
《 History of Sino-US Relations》 7-10 章、結語，第 234-543 頁。
7. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: The Sino-American
Economic Relations and the Trade War

Week 12/April 5: Ching Ming Festival, Holiday, No Class

Week 12/April 12: China and the US in the Vastly Changed 21st Century
World—“China Threat” and Mutual Perceptions & Diplomacy
Reading: Herbert Yee & Ian Storey, eds., The China Threat: Perceptions,
Myths and Reality, pp.1-42, 87-129, 152-182, 319-338.
8. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: Why is a “China Threat”?
Has China Treated Anyone?

Week 13/April 19: China and the US in the Vastly Changed 21st Century
World—“Universal” Values vs Territorial Integrity: Chinese Frontiers
Controversies
Reading: Xiaoyuan Liu, Recast All Under Heaven: Revolution, War,
Diplomacy and Frontier China in the 20th Century, Part IV, pp. 171-228.
Tucker, Nancy Bernkopf ed., Dangerous Strait: The U.S.-Taiwan-China crisis,
pp. 1-15, 70-161.
9. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: The Tibet Issue and
Chinese Turkestan Movement

Week 14/April 26: China and the US in the Vastly Changed 21st Century
World—“Universal” Values vs Territorial Integrity: Chinese Frontiers
Controversies
Reading: Xiaoyuan Liu, Recast All Under Heaven: Revolution, War,
Diplomacy and Frontier China in the 20th Century, Part IV, pp. 171-228.
Tucker, Nancy Bernkopf ed., Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China crisis,
pp. 1-15, 70-161.
10. Student Presentation & Class Discussion: The Hong Kong Issue and
Taiwan Issue in the Sino-American Relations

Week 15/May 3: Reading Week

May 4: Final Paper Due

Compulsory Readings
Cohen, Warren I.: America’s Response to China: A History of Sino-American
Relations (New York: Columbia University Press, 2010).
Tucker, Nancy Bernkopf ed.: Dangerous Strait: The U.S.--Taiwan--China Crisis
(New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2005).
Fairbank, John K. & Ernest R. May, eds., America’s China Trade in Historical
Perspective: The Chinese and American Performance (Boston, MA: Harvard
University Asia Center, 1986).

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Herbert Yee & Ian Storey, eds., The China Threat: Perceptions, Myths and Reality
(New York, NY: Routledge Curzon, 2002).
Xiaoyuan Liu, Recast All Under Heaven: Revolution, War, Diplomacy and Frontier
China in the 20th Century (New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic, 2010)
陶文釗：(2004)《 History of Sino-American Relations》上海：上海人民出版社, 3 冊。
項立嶺：(2002)《 A Complete History of Sino-American Relations》。上海：華東師範大學出版社。
李小兵等著：（2003）《 Chinese in America: From History to Now》成都：四川人民出版社。

References
Supplementary Readings
Key Periods (Chronological Order)
李定一：(1978)《中美早期外交史 History of Early Sino-American Relations》。臺北：傳記文學雜誌社。
仇華飛：(2005)《 (1784-1844) Study of Early Sino-American Relations, 1784-1844》北京：
人民出版社。
Hunt, Michael (1983) The Making of a Special Relationship: The United States and
China to 1914. NY: Columbia University Press
項立嶺：(1993) 《 First Twist in Sino-American Relations: Peace Conferences From
Berlin to Washington, D.C.》上海：復旦大學出版社。
牛軍：(1992) 《 From Hurley to Marshall: American Mediation between the KMT and
the CCP》。福州：福建人民出版社。
林利民：(2000)《 Suppressing China: the Korean War and Sino-American Relations》北京：
時事出版社。
Harding, Harry & Yuan Ming, eds. (1989) Sino-American Relations, 1945-1955: A
Joint Reassessment of a Critical Decade. Wilmington, De: SR Books.
戴超武：(2003)《1954-1958 年的中美關係 The Era of Confrontation and Crisis: 1954-1958》北
京：社會科學文獻出版社。
Li, Xiaobing & Li Hongshan, eds. (1998) China and the United States: A New Cold
War History. Lanham: University Press of America.
Goh, Evelyn. (2005). Constructing the U.S. Rapprochement with China, 1961-1974:
From “Red Menace” to “Tacit Ally”. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Tucker, Nancy Bernkopf (1983) Patterns in the Dust: Chinese-American relations
and the Recognition Controversy, 1949-1950. New York: Columbia University
Press.
姜長斌、羅伯特．羅斯主編：(2000)《 From Confrontation to Relaxation: Reassessing Cold War
Sino-American Relations》北京 : 世界知識出版社。
楚樹龍：(2001)《 Direction of Post Cold War Sino-American Relations》北京：中國社會科學出版
社。
楊潔勉：(2004)《 Post Cold War Sino-American Relations: Theory and Practice of Crisis
Management》上海：上海人民出版社。
Lampton, David M. (2001) Same Bed, Different Dreams: Managing US-China
Relations, 1989-2000. Berkeley, etc.: University of California Press
Harding, Harry. (1992) A Fragile Relationship: The United States and China since
1972. Washington DC: The Brookings Institution
Madsen, Richard. (1995) China and the American Dream: A Moral Inquiry. Berkeley,
etc. University of California Press.
Koehn, Peter & Joseph Y. Cheng, eds. (1999) The Outlook for US-China Relation
Following the 1997-1998 Summits, Chinese and American Perspectives on
Security, Trade and Cultural Exchange. HK: Chinese Univ. Press of HK.
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Missionaries
王立誠：(2001) 《 American Cultural Penetration in Modern Chinese Education: The
History of Hujiang University》上海：復旦大學出版社。
Reed, James. (1983) The Missionary Mind and American East Asia Policy, 1911-
1915. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Newman, Robert P. (2003) Owen Lattimore and the “Loss” of China. Berkeley etc.:
University of California Press.

Chinese in America
孔秉德, 尹曉煌主編 ; 余寧平等譯：(2004)《 American Chinese and Sino-American Relations》北京 :
新華出版社。

Trade Relations
吳心伯：(1997)《, 1909-1913 Dollar Diplomacy and the Powers in China, 1909-1913》。上
海：復旦大學出版社。
李一文：(2001) 《 Analyzing Modern Sino-American Trade Relations: Recent Sino-US
Relations Seen through Trade》天津：天津人民出版社。
胡涵鈞：(2002)《 , 1972-2001 Contemporary Sino-American Trade, 1972-2001》上海：復旦大
學出版社。
張 任 編 ： (1993) 《 (1980-1991 年 ) US Direct Investment in China, 1980-
1991》 上海：復旦大學出版社。
顧雲深，石源華，金光耀主編：(1999)《 Study the Past to Understand the Future: A Review of
Sino-American Economic Relations in the Past Century 》上海：復旦大學出版社。
郭益耀，鄭偉民：(2001) 《 Economic Globalization and Sino-American
Trade Relations 》 北京：社會科學文獻出版社。

Mutual Perceptions & the “China Threat”

丁松泉：(2005)《 The Rise of China and Sino-American Relations》。北京：中國社會科學出版社。
Edward Timperlake, William C. Triplett II (1999) Red Dragon Rising, Communist
China’s Military Threat to America. Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing, inc.
Huntington, Samuel. (1997) The Clash of Civilizations: Remaking of World Order.
NY: Touchstone.
張 濟順 ： (1999) 《 , 1943-1953 Images of America among the Chinese
Intelligentsia, 1943-1953 》 。上海：復旦大學出版社。
Leo, [Link] & R. David Arkush, eds. (1989) Land Without Ghosts: Chinese
Impressions of America from the Mid-Nineteenth Century to the Present.
Berkeley, etc.: University of California Press.
Jespersen, Christopher T. (1996) American Images of China, 1931-1949. Stanford,
Calif.: Stanford University Press.
楊玉聖：(1996)《 Chinese Perceptions of the USA: A Historical Study》。上海：復旦大學出版社。

Chinese Frontiers
Nancy B. Tucker (1994) Taiwan, Hong Kong and the United States, 1945-1992,
Uncertain Friendships. NY, Toronto, etc.: Twayne Publishers.
鮑紹霖 (Paau, Danny S.) ：(1992)《 ---美國人的倡議與政策 Beneath Taiwan Independence:
American Advocacy and Policies》

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Paau, Danny S. (1990) The Issue of Taiwan in Sino-American Relations: Roots of
Bitterness and Controversies. HK: Modern Chinese History Society of Hong
Kong.
資中筠，何迪主編：(1991)《, 1949-1989 Four Decades of US-Taiwan Relations, 1949-1989》
北京：人民出版社。
李雲龍：(1998)《 Human Rights in Sino-American Relations》北京：新華出版社。

Regional & Worldwide Issues

陶文釗，杜瑞清，王旭主編：(2003)《 China-US Relations and East Asia》北京：中國社會科學出版社。
Danny S. Paau, [Link], eds., (2006) Return of the Dragon: US-China Relations in the
21st Century (NY, Hamburg, Oxford etc.: Peter Lang)
Schaller, Michael. (2002). The United States and China: Into the 21st Century. New
York; Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lampton, David M. and Ewing, Richard Daniel (2002) U.S.-China Relations in a
Post-September 11th World. Washington, D. C.: The Nixon Center.

Reflections, Observations & Overviews

Myers, Ramon H., Michel C. Oksenberg & David Shambaugh (ed). (2001). Making
China Policy: Lessons from the Bush and Clinton Administrations. Lanham,
Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers。
Hsu, Francis L. (1981) Americans and Chinese: Passage to Differences. Honolulu:
The University Press of Hawaii.
楊潔勉 (2000) 《 Post Cold War Sino-American Relations: A Comparative Study of
Foreign Policies》
郝雨凡，張燕冬：(2000)《 Invisible Hand: Commenting on Sino-American Relations with
American China Experts》。北京：新華出版社。
趙寶煦主編：(1999) 《 Sino-American Relations Cross the Centuries: Chinese and
American Scholars on the Present and Future Scenarios.

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