From the pre-writing period to the end of the 20th century — prominent British historian John Keay presents a sweeping chronological history of China. Based on a wealth of archival sources, including unpublished ones, this book is already recognized as a classic worldwide. The detailed introduction provides an overview of the geography of China, the chronology of its history, and the peculiarities of the language, toponyms, and proper names. In the subsequent sections, you will learn all the main events about the legendary Five Emperors, the mythical Xia kingdom, and the pre-imperial states of Shang and Zhou, about archaeological findings related to the Bronze and Iron Ages, about the period of the Warring States; about the influence of Confucius, about the unification of China by the First Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, about the Cultural Revolution of the Qin, the rise and fall of the Han; about the rule of the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, about the era of the Five Dynasties and Ten States, about the triumph and fall of the Ming. Topics covered include the Manchu conquest, the situation in Dzungaria, Xinjiang, and Tibet, the Qing crisis, the course of the Opium Wars, and the Taiping Rebellion; the Boxer Rebellion, the country’s transition from empire to republic, the events of the Russo-Japanese, First and Second World Wars, and the Cultural Revolution of Mao Zedong. Equipped with a solid reference apparatus, color inserts, maps, and tables, the publication will be of interest to a wide range of readers. “This book is designed to meet an urgent need — to provide the reader with an overview of the history of China, for which no prior acquaintance with the subject or knowledge of the Chinese language is required… The history of China is long enough, and the culture is complex enough. I sincerely hope that in the end, the efforts of the readers will be fully rewarded.” (John Keay)
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