Economic History is the research field of widespread concern of Chinese and foreign history and economics.。With the continuous deepening of globalization，Economic History has become a hot spot for Chinese and foreign academic research and exchanges。Under this background，How to make a Chinese voice in the international academic community，Tell Chinese Stories，Views of the academic circles。Around related topics，The reporter interviewed Mr. Li Bong, a professor of humanities in Peking University。

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Li Bohn (About this question，Each scholar has his own view，My opinion can be explained in an analogy。When I first arrived at Tsinghua University，Just see the School of Architecture in the school、The Department of Civil Engineering and the School of Materials。Although they are all built a house，But divided into three powerful courtyards。So，What do they do? later，Learn from relevant teachers，I only know，The School of Materials is the study of various materials，Study cement in architecture、Iron and steel;，In a house，How to become specific requirements，Rumen、Window, etc.，It has its own requirements; the School of Architecture is mainly responsible for design，such as appearance and other aspects。So，The difference between the three is very large。If only the design structure，It cannot show a good shape，To show it，There must be professionals to deal with。This treatment method not only needs to learn architectural science，And to learn art。So，Students from the School of Architecture must take arts。

I think，Relations in each part of economic history research，Similar to building a house。Historical materials under traditional history and new technical conditions are equivalent to materials。If the materials (historical materials) are not sufficiently reliable and difficult to use，So no matter how good the "architecture", it will collapse。But the historical material itself cannot speak，We must combine it into a certain structure。For example,，What is class? Class is a structure refined from many historical materials、A social group。Various "structures" form a society，You need to "design"，To form an overall "building"。In this process，It is necessary to consider whether the house is strong enough，Also consider whether it can be accepted by the public。For example，My Chinese architecture when I was a kid is all like，All Fang Fang Zhengzheng Soviet -style。So，A few years a few years，I go to Siberia to inspect the road of tea，The architectural style over there is too familiar to me。This building has a structure，Very strong，but lack of beauty，The practicality is also poor，Only have basic functions。Today's architecture is different，For example,，The Harry Fa Tower in Dubai has its own characteristics; Beijing's "Bird's Nest" is both practical and beautiful，There are many different functions。

So，Research historical materials are equivalent to the task of the School of Materials，Research History is equivalent to the task of the Department of Civil Engineering。but，If you study the history of the economy，What the economy is like，Study it according to a certain idea，This is equivalent to the work of the School of Architecture。For this，Keynes' student Robinson bet365 best casino games said very clearly，Economics is just a toolbox。There are many principles of failure in economics，or some principles are not used in the corresponding "structure"，will also lead to failure。So，I think，In the study of economic history，First of all, there must be materials，Secondly, figure out some basic problems。Based on this，We want to see the overall economy and we must use the theory and method of economics。The principle of economics must be used for economic history、Method、Analysis Tool，But the facts of historical facts and historical research discuss some specific issues。I think，Combination of history and economics，is the real economic history。

We live in a changing era，Economics is another changing learning，So we can not use a deadly concept to look at economics。Today，Modern Technology enables us to better identify and use historical materials，If the method of big data enables us to contact the massive historical materials that seniors cannot see，And some modern technology methods can analyze historical materials more effectively。Current，Some economic history scholars have studied "structure" better，In the future, we should put forward some economic history and theories that conform to Chinese history，These are also lacking in the international academic circles。

If Chinese economic history wants to speak in international schools，You must take out your own things，and cannot ignore international mainstream economics、Economic Historian's views and opinions。Those scholars also urgently hope to learn more about China。Many years ago，European scholar Angus Madison came to China，We talked about his "Long -term Performance of Chinese Economy -AD 960-2030"。I said straightforwardly，It is good to use the method of economic history as a large economy，But most of the conclusions about China are unreliable。He answered，This is what he wants Chinese scholars to conduct research。He does not understand Chinese nor Japanese，It can only be studied by the results of Western Sinologists，But the research of Western Sinologists is insufficient。We later communicated many times，He hopes that Chinese scholars can understand his method、Improve his method、Correct his mistakes。

Later，I wrote "China's Early Modern Economy -1820 Huating -Lou County GDP Research"，Affected by these communication。So，I used their method，But a lot of corrections，This is also a challenge for me。Economists will provide a lot of very good ideas，But are these concepts suitable for history? Is it appropriate for Chinese history?。We should not retreat to self -define、Rejecting a new theory。but，Foreign economics theory is not necessarily suitable for analyzing Chinese history，We should change it，This is what China's economic historian needs to do。On the one hand, it should not reject new economic theory; on the other hand, it should be improved based on Chinese practice，After improvement, it will also promote the development of international economics and economic history。In addition to developed countries in the world，A large existence is the Third World State。If you can propose a research paradigm outside the West，Scholars from other countries in the world may be more agreed。This，Chinese academics will enter global academic mainstream，Global academic mainstream will also be promoted constantly。This is what we should do most。

I hope young scholars and students are doing research，The field of vision can be wider。There are two research trends in domestic and young Bet365 app download scholars in China: one trend is to feel that theoretical research is too "empty"，Only empirical research; another trend is mainly for scholars from economics，They believe that economics is "universal"，As long as there are some basic methods of economics，Any research can be performed directly。Taking the GDP problem as an example，My research location is a small place -Shanghai Songjiang District，The most prosperous period in the Qing Dynasty，Around 1820, there were only more than 500,000 people in the local area。But my research spent 8 years，The final Chinese manuscript is about 600 pages。Now，Some economics scholars directly study the Song Dynasty、Ming Dynasty、GDP in the Qing Dynasty，Time span two or three hundred years，Geoscope involves the entire China。Difficulties in research，You can imagine。I once proposed to some scholars，Database should be built first，Even a large number of historians should help analyze the information。This is not completed within a few years，but long -term skills。After all，If the material is wrong，Research conclusions are not reliable。

If you want to study the history of the economy，historians should work hard to learn economics。For example，An American professor of economics proposes to teach，Economics of the three major systems must be mastered: one is the Western economics created by Adam Smith; the other is Marxist political economics，If the economic foundation determines the upper building、Production relations, etc. The third is the world system of Emmanuel Wallestan，For nearly five hundred years，The world slowly becomes a close connection，Downside and move the overall situation。Chinese historians should pay attention to these doctors。

If you want to study the history of the economy，Scholars from economics should work hard to learn history。Not only must learn more about history，and should become a better historian。This，We can achieve the achievements that are truly widely recognized internationally。Now everyone is discussing the discourse system、Chinese Voice，Criticizing Western discourse hegemony。but，If there is no real research results，I can't speak Chinese words，Also tell the story of Chinese stories。So，We make a Chinese voice，It is not to leave another set to the West，Instead, under the premise of obeying certain rules，Do your own research，Put forward your own discourse system。

　"China Social Sciences": As an economic historian who enjoys a highly reputation in the Chinese and foreign economic and historians，Please talk about the differences in the research of Chinese and foreign economic history。

Li Bohn (Foreign countries include many countries，The differences in different countries are also very large。In terms of economic history，Now it seems that the United States is getting more and more upper.。but，Even in the English world，The economic history research in the United Kingdom and the United States also has considerable differences。Current，The economic history of the United States is mainly based on quantitative history，Known as the Revolution of New Economic History。After the history of quantification begins to become popular，Scholars in the United States commented，There are two completely different research paths。The history of the new and old economy is completely different，Representatives of the new economic history, such as Douglas Nobes, use the measurement method。Comparison of comparison，Noys also emphasizes the system，Some researchers have completely adopted a mathematical formula research method。The study of economic history in the UK is called economic and social history，Emphasize the combination of economic and social research，quantification is just one of the methods。Some British scholars even declare that the new economic history has been dead，It means that the new economic history has never become the mainstream in the UK。Of course，Many young and middle -aged scholars in the UK are still doing quantitative research，But not as much as much as the American academic community。In continental Europe，For example, France，I don’t respect the quantitative method，Bro Evers and others' works rarely use quantitative methods。Visible，There is a big difference between economic history between different western countries。As for the difference between Japanese economic history and western countries，That is even bigger。The older generation of economic historians in Japan，Most admire Marxist political economics。Japanese scholars for materialism、Class analysis and other research methods use more，American scholars rarely discuss these。

Before reform and opening up，China's economic history research is basically in accordance with the Soviet paradigm。After reform and opening up，A large number of Western economics theories enter the country，Including myself，I also systematically learned the theory of Western economics at that stage。Chinese mainstream economists have far more understanding of Western economics than in the past，But more valued the actual situation of China。Many outstanding young and middle -aged scholars have appeared in China，Their information is done well。Economic history research in various countries has different characteristics，I think there are both advantages and disadvantages。Scholars who do quantitative history in the United States also attach great importance to information，They created a lot of database。but，Economics is one of the most closed disciplines in western social sciences。The conservativeness of historians is also strong，But now more and more can accept other disciplines。So，Some scholars in the West are calling for，Economics has reached the same death，Must be changed。If you want to change，On the one hand, open，On the other hand, learn history。Now，The motivation for studying history in the United States，higher than the motivation of learning economics from historians。American scholars feel that their knowledge about China is not enough，I hope to learn more about relevant knowledge。but，If we translate our good articles in China，They can't accept it，This is because the difference in basic concepts is large。So，Academic exchanges must use the concept that the other party can accept。The premise that the other party can accept is that we have enough understanding of the other party。On the basis of understanding，We have to make the results that the other party cannot do，can be accepted by the other party。So，I always think，We do research now，Can't close the door by yourself，should be open to open attitude，Learning is no national borders。

　　"China Social Sciences": in recent years，Quantitative history is quite popular，Database construction is becoming more mature，How do you view the role of quantitative history in economic history research? Some scholars think，The common sense that has been proved through quantitative data is a "waste"。Excuse me，How do you think of this problem?

Li Bohn (Actually，I think there is a little misunderstanding。quantification must rely on data，But the data is not the same as numbers。Data can be the image、Text、Number，etc.。Quantitative research does not necessarily rely entirely on numbers，And even if the digital historical materials are limited，You can also make good research。For example，Mr. He Bingzheng is the earliest scholar to study the flow of Chinese society，His research on the Ming and Qing Scholars and Relief，The number used is relatively limited，But later scholars can add、Expansion or even correction。but，No matter what，He opened the road for our research，Let everyone continue to work hard in this area。

How to do research，Depending on the vision of a scholar。A scholar should consider: What problems do you want to solve in research，What are the conditions for solving this problem? If you say except quantification method，Other methods cannot solve this problem，Then you should learn quantified methods。If the required conditions are not created at present，should be created as much as possible。During the research process，We should try according to limited conditions。If the data is not sufficient，We can try the job like Mr. He Bingzheng first。In recent years，Some scholars use Dunhuang documents or Turpan documents，I have made a limited quantification，It is also worthy of recognition。Of course，Database construction is too important，A country as big as China，If there is no database，For example, it is difficult to last for a long time，It is easier to cite the opposite example。

In the study of the database，The first task is to design a template，What are the contents to do。Design strip is very important，And only historians can do。Researcher Dingyizhuang once said，When they study the royal population of the Qing Dynasty，If you can't figure out various identities，It is a mess，Of course，How to determine these entries，It is difficult to complete it alone by historians，often requires the help of some sociologists。Only these entries are done，can you fill the data。If the design is bad at first，There must be a big problem，So historians must be by historians、Economist、Statistical scholars and other "joint operations"，Caopted discussions based on the problems to be studied。

Many domestic institutions now，For example, the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences，Also build databases。About modern databases are relatively easy，Because there are many statistical reports during this period，Do not require too much historical knowledge to deal with these reports。but，If you want to handle the statistical statement in the West to enter the data before China，It will be more troublesome，It will rely more on historians。So，Those research on ancient Chinese GDP，Often is hosted by economics scholars，If there is no skill in the help of historians with deep skills，The data made by it is likely to have big problems。After all，Ancient Chinese taxes are very complicated，If the entry is not clear，What is the use of search database?

other，After the database is more，You can connect them to each other。So when the scholar is studying a problem，You can use multiple databases to draw conclusions，If the five databases in the United States are like this。There is an ambitious database in the United States，Society in the world in the last 500 years、Economy、The information of the population is lost。but，Chinese information is difficult for them，It is difficult for them to read Chinese materials。

The point of view of some scholars you put forward，In fact, from a scientific perspective，This research is also bet365 live casino games common。The view that others originally put forward are likely to be just a hypothesis，Will be questioned，If it can be proved now，It is also very valuable。Study made by Wu Jianxiong, president of the American Institute of Physics，It is to verify those famous assumptions，This is not its original research，Just verify。but，If this method is used to verify that the past says is right，So contribution is also great。For example,，The conclusion of the richer Jiangnan in the Qing Dynasty，If it can be verified, it is really rich，That is also very important。The past common sense is right and wrong，Whether it is confirmed or fake，The persuasive explanation has great significance。For example，Galileo free fall experiment in the history of scientific research。

　　"China Social Sciences": in recent years，More and more young scholars enter the field of economic history research。Please talk about matters that you need to pay attention to youth research in young scholars for economic history research。

Li Bohn (For young scholars，If you want to engage in this study forever，Starting from a small question。A few years a few years，Many scholars are discussing the problem of "fragmentation"，I don’t agree with the saying of "fragmentation"。Metaphor back to the beginning，If you don't do some small structures first，Doors and windows are not done first，At the beginning, I wanted to design "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube"，It must be unable to do。Only study the small topic first，It is possible to further promote research in the future，After all, the final achievement is also affected by a series of conditions，Rulong、Excise effort、physical condition、Work conditions, etc.。If the future conditions are not ideal，Specialized small topic is not task，The research results made at least are valuable。These achievements can be used by other scholars in the future。Economic History Research is a career，Not a person's job。Everyone makes these small、Good results，Some experience may be more mature in the future、Scholars with better conditions combine these achievements into a larger structure，Let better scholars put forward some theories，Finally proposed the economic history theory with Chinese characteristics，This is the common cause of everyone。

Therefore，I think young scholars do the topic first，According to personal characteristics，Train yourself by doing a small topic，Especially the discipline you are not familiar with。As a historian，In the process of doing these small topics，Be sure to learn some economics、Sociology Knowledge，vision can also be exercised in these small topics。As an economist，Be sure to learn history well。This will know the importance of historical materials、How to identify historical materials、How to organize historical materials、How to make a real database。As for the topic of research，You can gradually expand with the increase of knowledge and experience。

At this point，Japanese scholars do better。Japanese scholars，Many famous artists start studying from a child.。Some people have studied small questions in a lifetime，Some people gradually turn to the middle view、Macro topic，Some people gradually turn to the middle view。So，Japan’s economic history is very status internationally。Although many Japanese scholars' English is not very good，But their works were translated into English，Many people reading。There are so many research in China，But there are very few theories that have been widely recognized。Of course，Not everyone's research needs to propose bet365 best casino games the theory，But the Chinese academic community always has some theoretical exploration。For example，Japanese academic circles have proposed a lot of theoretical thinking on Chinese history，Such as the theory of reform of the Tang and Song dynasties。Many scholars in China have questioned the theory of reform of the Tang and Song dynasties，This skeptic spirit is very good，But it is best to be questioned，Put forward your own theoretical explanation，Otherwise, there will be only "broken" without "standing"。

other，division of labor is necessary。Examples of the above building，Some people make professional production doors，Do a lifetime，The door may be better and better，This is also very good。There are so many houses in China，Many doors also need to be needed。But for the other part of the person，It may be further，The door made can be the door of this room，It can also be the gate of the school and even the door of the Forbidden City。This can all show its superb skills。Some scholars can propose where the door is used，How to cooperate with the overall。This is a division of labor，Everyone is based on their own situation and objective environment，Which step can you do if you can do it，Don't let everyone do the same thing。stipulate what everyone does to do，Is the worst。Only individuals have a certain space，A very practical understanding of your internal and external conditions，What to do for what to do，According to your own actual situation，Constantly creating conditions，Study the topic that you want to study and can be studied，Economic and historians will continue to improve。

For history，Some of our practices may not be appropriate now。For example，Basic theory is not a national call or the government can immediately produce money，It must be accumulated to innovate。For example,，To put forward a view on a certain aspect of Chinese history，It is necessary to know what kind of views of scholars in other countries in Chinese history，Where is their truth? In the same aspect，What are the characteristics of other countries? If you can't see others，Just say I am，Then the characteristics summarized may be the same as others，Features will not be established。Another，Some foreign theories and concepts are correct for us? This requires detailed discussion and verification。When we accept the concepts proposed by some foreign scholars，Let's see how they use these concepts first，Do you have some problems during use。Think about it when applying，The difference between our society and their society is so big，Can these concepts apply directly? Must know more about others，You can see yourself。This，The theory we put forward can meet our own characteristics，can be called our own theory。