Abstract:

P. A. Cohen' s early conception of history of China was influenced by the polarized opposite theory of "tradition verse modernity". Later, he tried to go beyond the limitation of this theory by his " China - centered approach", and further negated the research model in which the development level of Chinese society was measured by the standard of Western "modernity". Cohen, however, failed to grasp the contradictory relationship between tradition and modernity scientifically, and his ideas of history had a quite clear relativist tendency.

Key words: Paul A. Cohen, conception of history of China, China-centered approach, historical relativism