20 Best Books On History Of China (2023 Update)

The history of china— brilliantly told and brought vividly to life through more than 6,000 years of artifacts and treasuresthis illustrated introduction to the history of china offers a fresh understanding of china’s progress from the neolithic age to the present. told in six chapters arranged chronologically, through art, artifacts, people, and places, and richly illustrated with expertly selected objects and artworks, it firmly connects today’s china with its internationally engaged past. from the earliest archaeological relics and rituals, through the development of writing and state, to the advent of empire, the author charts china’s transformation from ancient civilization into the world’s most populous nation and influential economy, offering historical insights and cultural treasures along the way. this accessible book presents an eclectic mix of materials including chinese theater, the decorative arts, costume, jewelry, and furniture-making, running through to the most recent diffusion of chinese culture.

John king fairbank was the west's doyen on china, and this book is the full and final expression of his lifelong engagement with this vast ancient civilization. it remains a masterwork without parallel. the distinguished historian merle goldman brings the book up to date, covering reforms in the post-mao period through the early years of the twenty-first century, including the leadership of hu jintao. she also provides an epilogue discussing the changes in contemporary china that will shape the nation in the years to come.

Winner of the 2012 cundill prize in historya gripping account of china’s nineteenth-century taiping rebellion, one of the largest civil wars in history. autumn in the heavenly kingdom brims with unforgettable characters and vivid re-creations of massive and often gruesome battles—a sweeping yet intimate portrait of the conflict that shaped the fate of modern china. the story begins in the early 1850s, the waning years of the qing dynasty, when word spread of a major revolution brewing in the provinces, led by a failed civil servant who claimed to be the son of god and brother of jesus. the taiping rebels drew their power from the poor and the disenfranchised, unleashing the ethnic rage of millions of chinese against their manchu rulers. this homegrown movement seemed all but unstoppable until britain and the united states stepped in and threw their support behind the manchus: after years of massive carnage, all opposition to qing rule was effectively snuffed out for generations. platt recounts these events in spellbinding detail, building his story on two fascinating characters with opposing visions for china’s future: the conservative confucian scholar zeng guofan, an accidental general who emerged as the most influential military strategist in china’s modern history; and hong rengan, a brilliant taiping leader whose grand vision of building a modern, industrial, and pro-western chinese state ended in tragic failure. this is an essential and enthralling history of the rise and fall of the movement that, a century and a half ago, might have launched china on an entirely different path into the modern world.

This volume begins the historical coverage of "the cambridge history of china" with the establishment of the ch'in empire in 221 bc and ends with the abdication of the last han emperor in ad 220. spanning four centuries, this period witnessed major evolutionary changes in almost every aspect of china's development, being particularly notable for the emergence and growth of a centralized administration and imperial government. owing to their pioneer achievements and the heritage that they left for later empires, these dynasties have rightly been regarded as a formative influence throughout chinese history. important archaeological discoveries of recent years have made a new approach possible for many aspects of the period. leading historians from asia, europe, and america have contributed chapters that convey a realistic impression of significant political, economic, intellectual, religious, and social developments, and of the contacts that the chinese made with other peoples at this time. like the other volumes in the series, volume 1 summarizes the information given in primary sources in the light of the most recent critical scholarship. as the book is intended for the general reader as well as the specialist, technical details are given in both chinese terms and english equivalents. references lead to primary sources and their translations and to secondary writings in european languages as well as chinese and japanese.

La 4e de couverture indique : "the turbulent and chequered past of the world's most populous country is one of the most fascinating in world history, and relatively little known in the west. from the beginnings of chinese prehistory right through to internet censorship with the 'great firewall of china', gordon kerr offers a comprehensive introduction to the sprawling history of this enormous country. a short history of china provides an absorbing introduction to more than 4,000 years of chinese history, telling the stories of the tyrants, despots, femmes fatales, artists, warriors and philosophers who have shaped this fascinating and complex nation. it describes the amazing technological advances that her scientists and inventors made many hundreds of years before similar discoveries in europe. it also investigates the chinese view of the world and examines the movements, aspirations and philosophies that moulded it and, in so doing, created the chinese nation. finally, the book examines the dramatic changes of the last few decades and the emergence of china as an economic and industrial 21st century superpower, making napoleon bonaparte's words about her ring true: “let china sleep, for when she awakes, she will shake the world.”

Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people. china defines itself in terms of history. taking into account the country's voluminous tradition of history writing, john keay has composed an illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. keay's history examines 5,000 years in china, from the time of the three dynasties through chairman mao and the current economic transformation of the country.

Western imperialism and the weakness of chinese social classes — the defection of the intellectuals — the abortiveness of bourgeois and proletarian revolution — the maoist revolution and the yan'an legacy — the new state — the cities: the rise and fall of national capitalism — land reform: the bourgeois revolution in the countryside — the social and political consequences of industrialization — agricultural collectivization, 1953-1957 — the hundred flowers: socialism, bureaucracy, and freedom — permanent revolution: the ideological origins of the great leap — economics of the great leap forward — the people's communes and the "transition to communism": 1958-1960 — the bureaucratic restoration — the new economics policy, 1961-1965 — the socialist education movement, 1962-1965 — the concept of cultural revolution — the great proletarian cultural revolution, 1966-1969 — social results of the cultural revolution — the aftermath of the cultural revolution and the close of the maoist era, 1969-1976 — the legacies of the maoist era — the rise of deng xiaoping and the critique of maoism — market reforms and the development of capitalism — the struggle for democracy — the end of the reign of deng xiaoping: china in the 1990s

The cambridge illustrated history of china is an illuminating account of the full sweep of chinese civilisation – from prehistoric times to the intellectual ferment of the warring states period, through the rise and fall of the imperial dynasties, to the modern communist state. written by a leading scholar and lavishly illustrated, its narrative draws together everything from the influence of key intellectual figures, to political innovations, art and material culture, family and religious life, not to mention wars and modern conflicts. this third revised edition includes new archaeological discoveries and gives fuller treatment of environmental history and chinese interaction with the wider world, placing china in global context. the qing dynasty is now covered in two chapters, while the final chapter brings the story into the twenty-first century, covering the transformation of china into one of the world's leading economies and the challenges it faces. lively and highly visual, this book will be appreciated by anyone interested in chinese history.

A groundbreaking chronicle of the violent early years of the people's republic of china by the author of the bbc samuel johnson prize–winning mao's great famine." the chinese communist party refers to its victory in 1949 as a 'liberation.' in china the story of liberation and the revolution that followed is not one of peace, liberty, and justice. it is first and foremost a story of calculated terror and systematic violence." so begins frank dikötter's stunning and revelatory chronicle of mao zedong's ascension and campaign to transform the chinese into what the party called new people. following the defeat of chiang kai-shek in 1949, after a bloody civil war, mao hoisted the red flag over beijing's forbidden city, and the world watched as the communist revolution began to wash away the old order. due to the secrecy surrounding the country's records, little has been known before now about the eight years that followed, preceding the massive famine and great leap forward.drawing on hundreds of previously classified documents, secret police reports, unexpurgated versions of leadership speeches, eyewitness accounts of those who survived, and more, the tragedy of liberation bears witness to a shocking, largely untold history. interweaving stories of ordinary citizens with tales of the brutal politics of mao's court, frank dikötter illuminates those who shaped the "liberation" and the horrific policies they implemented in the name of progress. people of all walks of life were caught up in the tragedy that unfolded, and whether or not they supported the revolution, all of them were asked to write confessions, denounce their friends, and answer queries about their political reliability. one victim of thought reform called it a "carefully cultivated auschwitz of the mind."

The iconic history of the chinese communist leaders who forever changed the course of china the first westerner to meet mao tse-tung and the chinese communist leaders in 1936, edgar snow came away with the first authorized account of mao's life, as well as a history of the famous long march and the men and women who were responsible for the chinese revolution. out of that experience came red star over china, a classic work that remains one of the most important books ever written about the birth of the communist movement in china. this edition includes extensive notes on military and political developments in china, further interviews with mao tse-tung, a chronology covering 125 years of chinese revolution, and nearly a hundred detailed biographies of the men and women who were instrumental in making china what it is today.

The story of hong kong and the rise of china in an era of globalisation, authoritarian power and democratic defiance. – the recent protests and crackdown in hong kong shook the world. a prosperous city with its freedoms enshrined by international treaties and conventions, hong kong is a unique part of the people's republic of china. its passage from a british colony to chinese rule was a joint diplomaticaccomplishment. but since then its people have struggled for democracy against dictatorship. in the gate and the wall, michael sheridan, who served for two decades as a foreign correspondent in asia, provides a vivid modern history of hong kong from china's break with maoism in 1977–its first steptowards economic superpower status — to the present. – hong kong stood astride two of the most important events in modern world history; the rise of china and the economic transformation of east asia. its great port and chinese culture made it the natural gateway for china to reach a wider world after decades of self-imposed isolation. despite the symbiosis, it was an uneasy partnership. by the time the british left, hong kong had westernized in importantways, particularly in its politics. that set it upon repeated collision courses with a revived authoritarian china, determined to absorb the city into its own system. – sheridan draws new insights from chinese archives and memoirs as well as the papers of well-known british leaders — margaret thatcher and the last governor, chris patten — whose actions forged hong kong's destiny. he gives a voice to hong kong's people: its leaders, its tycoons, its hard-workingfamilies, and the young generation who made the fight for freedom a cause that resounds far beyond the south china sea. more broadly, the gate and the wall illuminates how economic globalization and the competing trends of democracy and dictatorship are shaping one of the world's most importantregions.

Discover the complexity of china’s past with this multi-faceted portrayal of the storied nation from a leading expert in the field the newly revised second edition of a history of china delivers a comprehensive treatment of the political, economic, social, and cultural history of china that covers all major events and trends that have shaped the country over the centuries. the book is written in a clear and uncomplicated style, sure to be of assistance to undergraduate students with little prior background knowledge in the subject matter. the text examines chinese history through a global lens to better understand how foreign influences affected domestic policies and practices. it includes discussions of the roles played by non-chinese ethnic groups in china, like the tibetans and uyghurs, and the mongol and manchu rulers who held power in china for several centuries. the distinguished author takes pains to incorporate the perspectives and narratives of people traditionally left out of chinese history, including women, peasants, merchants, and artisans. readers will also enjoy the inclusion of: a thorough introduction to early and ancient chinese history, including classical china, the first chinese empires, and religious and political responses to the period between 220 and 581 ce an exploration of the restoration of empire under sui and tang, as well as post-tang society and glorious song a discussion of china and the mongol world, including mongol rule in china and the isolationism and involvement on the global stage of the ming dynasty a treatment of china in global history, including the qing era, the republican period, and the communist era perfect for undergraduate students of courses on chinese history and central asian history, the second edition of a history of china will also earn a place in the libraries of students studying global history and related classes in history departments and departments of asian studies.the blackwell history of the world series the goal of this ambitious series is to provide an accessible source of knowledge about the entire human past, for every curious person in every part of the world. it will comprise some two dozen volumes, of which some provide synoptic views of the history of particular regions while others consider the world as a whole during a particular period of time. the volumes are narrative in form, giving balanced attention to social and cultural history (in the broadest sense) as well as to institutional development and political change. each provides a systematic account of a very large subject, but they are also both imaginative and interpretative. the series is intended to be accessible to the widest possible readership, and the accessibility of its volumes is matched by the style of presentation and production.

A single volume history of china, offering a look into the past of the global superpower and its significance today.michael wood has travelled the length and breadth of china, the world’s oldest civilization and longest lasting state, to tell a thrilling story of intense drama, fabulous creativity, and deep humanity that stretches back thousands of years.after a century and a half of foreign invasion, civil war, and revolution, china has once again returned to center stage as a global superpower and the world’s second largest economy. but how did it become so dominant? the story of china takes a fresh look at the middle kingdom in the light of the recent massive changes inside the country. taking into account exciting new archeological discoveries, the book begins with china’s prehistory—the early dynasties, the origins of the chinese state, and the roots of chinese culture in the age of confucius. wood looks at particular periods and themes that are now being reevaluated by historians, such as the renaissance of the song with its brilliant scientific discoveries. he paints a vibrant picture of the qing empire in the 18th century, just before the european impact, a time when china’s rich and diverse culture was at its height. then, wood explores the encounter with the west, the opium wars, the clashes with the british, and the extraordinarily rich debates in the late 19th century that pushed china along the path to modernity.finally, he provides a clear up-to-date account of post-1949 china, including revelations about the 1989 crisis based on newly leaked inside documents, and fresh insights into the new order of president xi jinping. all woven together with landscape history and the author’s own travel journals, the story of china is the indispensable book about the most intriguing and powerful country on the world stage today.

When the chinese communists came to power in 1949, they promised to 'turn society upside down'. efforts to build a communist society created hopes and dreams, coupled with fear and disillusionment. the chinese people made great efforts towards modernization and social change in this period of transition, but they also experienced traumatic setbacks. covering the period 1949 to 1976 and then tracing the legacy of the mao era through the 1980s, felix wemheuer focuses on questions of class, gender, ethnicity, and the urban-rural divide in this new social history of maoist china. he analyzes the experiences of a range of social groups under communist rule – workers, peasants, local cadres, intellectuals, 'ethnic minorities', the old elites, men and women.

About the book a comprehensive account of the political, social and economic developments of the ch'ing empire during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. book synopsis volume 9, part 2 of the cambridge history of china is the second of two volumes which together explore the political, social and economic developments of the ch'ing empire during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries prior to the arrival of western military power. across fifteen chapters, a team of leading historians explore how the eighteenth century's greatest contiguous empire in terms of geographical size, population, wealth, cultural production, political order and military domination peaked and then began to unravel. the book sheds new light on the changing systems deployed under the ch'ing dynasty to govern its large, multi-ethnic empire and surveys the dynasty's complex relations with neighbouring states and europe. in this compelling and authoritative account of a significant era of early modern chinese history, the volume illustrates the ever-changing nature of the ch'ing empire, and provides context for the unforeseeable challenges that the nineteenth century would bring.

In 1850, china was the 'sick man of asia'. the penguin history of modern china shows how turbulent that journey has been. for 150 years china has endured as victim of oppression, war and famine. this makes its current position as arguably the most important global superpower all the more extraordinary. jonathan fenby's comprehensive account is the definitive guide to this remarkable transformation.' his book is a miracle of thoroughness, truthfulness and readability – the perfect primer for a time when china is about to enter all our lives' sunday telegraph'jonathan fenby's … illuminating book [is] the first major history that looks at the country with the eyes of the 21st century rather than the 20th' rana mitter, financial times'reads like a novel and is never less than thoughtful and compassionate for the fate of a much-abused people … [fenby has] a journalist's eye for telling detail' herald'taut, anecdote-studded … a great introduction for a general audience, with vivid scene setting and character sketches' michel sheridan, sunday times'for an accessible, authoritative, fair and comprehensive and well written account, this would be hard to better' bbc history'a wonderful history of modern china and a cracking good read' chris pattenjonathan fenby, cbe, has been the editor of the observer and the south china morning post. his books include generalissimo: chiang kai-shek and the china he lost and dealing with the dragon: a year in the new hong kong. he is currently editor-in-chief and china editor of the analytical service, trusted sources.

In 1850, china was the 'sick man of asia'. the penguin history of modern china shows how turbulent that journey has been. for 150 years china has endured as victim of oppression, war and famine. this makes its current position as arguably the most important global superpower all the more extraordinary. jonathan fenby's comprehensive account is the definitive guide to this remarkable transformation.' his book is a miracle of thoroughness, truthfulness and readability – the perfect primer for a time when china is about to enter all our lives' sunday telegraph'jonathan fenby's … illuminating book [is] the first major history that looks at the country with the eyes of the 21st century rather than the 20th' rana mitter, financial times'reads like a novel and is never less than thoughtful and compassionate for the fate of a much-abused people … [fenby has] a journalist's eye for telling detail' herald'taut, anecdote-studded … a great introduction for a general audience, with vivid scene setting and character sketches' michel sheridan, sunday times'for an accessible, authoritative, fair and comprehensive and well written account, this would be hard to better' bbc history'a wonderful history of modern china and a cracking good read' chris pattenjonathan fenby, cbe, has been the editor of the observer and the south china morning post. his books include generalissimo: chiang kai-shek and the china he lost and dealing with the dragon: a year in the new hong kong. he is currently editor-in-chief and china editor of the analytical service, trusted sources.

If you want to discover the captivating history of the qing dynasty, then pay attention… succeeding the ming dynasty in 1644, the qing emperors managed to create one of the largest empires ever to exist in the territories of asia and the fifth largest empire in the world. the qing dynasty doubled the size of the ming territory, but they also more than tripled its population, integrating not just chinese but also tibetans, mongols, burmese, tai peoples, and the indigenous people of taiwan, among others. the qing dynasty governed this vast empire for nearly 300 years. – the kangxi emperor – reign of emperors yongzheng and qianlong – the jahriyya revolt, white lotus rebellion, and eight trigrams uprising – the first opium war – the second opium war – self-strengthening of china – empress dowager cixi – boxer rebellion – the last emperor – and much, much more! so if you want to learn more about the history the qing dynasty, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!

Within this handsome book is a key to understanding the long road that china, one of the great powers of the ancient and the modern world, has traveled in its dramatic history. it also provides a colorful guide to the course of chinese art from the neolithic age to the eve of its industrialization and re-emergence on the world stage.

Within this handsome book is a key to understanding the long road that china, one of the great powers of the ancient and the modern world, has traveled in its dramatic history. it also provides a colorful guide to the course of chinese art from the neolithic age to the eve of its industrialization and re-emergence on the world stage.