Further thought

[mindstalk]

Of course, for all that babbling earlier, the most obvious reason for not being expert in both India and China is that it's absurd to be expert in even one of them. 2000+ years, 1/5 to 1/4 of the human population each... Yeah. Compare to being an expert in Polish or Scottish history.

Of course, one can be expert in one thing and at least have a clue in another. But that'd be facilitated by interaction, a la England & Scotland, England & France, Japan & China (from the POV of Scotland or Japan, at least.) India and China have had trade, embassies, and missionaries, but not invasions.

Comments

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Well said, I've taken several courses in Chinese history as well as some on East Asian anthro and anthropology of colonialism courses, and have read a number of books since that time, and I know that I still have only a very general understanding of China, and my knowledge of India is far less extensive.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanda_Empire#See_also is kind of appalling...