Five Thousand Years of Chinese History, Volume One

History is a mirror. Every country and people places importance on using its history to educate and inspire its citizens, especially the young. History itself is full of life, and many expressions in modern Chinese, particularly idioms and allusions, come from historical texts. Yet today’s children are easily “formatted” by the rich forms of modern Western civilization and become resistant to learning history. This is bound to worry parents who care about their children’s growth and hope they will become pillars of society. In this age of high technology, it remains important for Chinese young people to understand and carry on the finest traditions of their own culture, so they can develop national pride and confidence. Five Thousand Years of Chinese History shows how studying history can illuminate the present and examining the past can help us understand today. Across five thousand years of long, unbroken history, generations have passed down a rich legacy, giving rise to an epic song of heroes, a song celebrating the tenacious struggle of working people, and a rousing hymn to righteousness that punishes evil and upholds good. The dramatic transformations, rises and falls of five thousand years are condensed into countless stirring stories.