Ancient Farming Tools

Chinese civilization spans five thousand years, with countless historical figures and a wealth of events. Helping readers quickly grasp the course of history and gain insight into it is the starting point for this accessible history book. Compiled by Lu Junshi, "A Long and Rich History and Culture" follows the divisions of historical periods, balancing breadth with detail to present a comprehensive account of the era from legendary times to the fall of the Qing dynasty. Its historical events and figures are discussed mainly through the history of farming implements: those of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods; those of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods; those of the Qin and Han dynasties; those of the Three Kingdoms and Jin dynasties; the invention of the curved-shaft plow in the Tang dynasty; innovations in farming tools during the Song and Yuan dynasties; the continuation of earlier tools during the Ming and Qing dynasties; and the publication of "Illustrated Compendium of Chinese Farming Implements".