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The Spatial Approach to Chinese History: A Test

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

Barbara Sands  and
Ramon H. Myers
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Abstract

This article presents a series of statistical tests of the spatial framework offered by G. W. Skinner for use in analyzing Chinese history. Skinner argues that China is best viewed as a collection of nine distinct economic regions, each composed of a core and periphery. The authors use discriminant analysis, a multivariant statistical technique, and a twentieth-century Chinese data set to test the relevance of this view empirically. Their tests show that the Skinner framework is not supported by the data, and therefore they conclude that the model's contribution to the historical analysis of China is questionable.

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Articles
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The Journal of Asian Studies , Volume 45 , Issue 4 , August 1986 , pp. 721 - 743
Copyright
Copyright © The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1986

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