Sun Haohui’s Definitive Masterpiece

The Qin Empire: At the end of the Warring States period, when ritual and music had fallen into disrepair and the various powers contended for supremacy, Qin faced the threat of annihilation, surrounded by rival states. Yet through bloody competition, it rose among the great powers. Beginning with Duke Xiao of Qin, the state underwent arduous reforms, embraced the rule of law, and unified its policies. It took more than 160 years and the unwavering efforts of six generations of leaders to complete a great imperial revolution, sweep away the six rival states, unify the realm, and establish a powerful empire. This monumental work recreates the vast historical upheavals and dramatic fate of an empire, portraying the stirring journey of a nation realizing its dream step by step. Every line and page is filled with strategic wisdom, the art of open political maneuvering, a spirit of diligence and vigilance, and the strength to survive. It brims with the heroic character and unadorned soul of China’s native civilization. The book features more than thirty exquisite illustrations of classic scenes by renowned Chinese painters Dai Dunbang and his son Dai Hongqian. Mr. Dai Dunbang also personally inscribed the title. The Age of the State: Using the Chinese linguistic tradition to interpret world civilization, this book examines the historical logic behind the development of human state civilizations. It presents Chinese civilization from the perspective of world civilization, uncovering in comparison the historical roots of China’s enduring vitality. Starting from deep anxiety about the crisis in the moral foundations and value system of contemporary Chinese society, the book calls for a reassessment of all human civilization from the standpoint of historical practice. It identifies the laws governing the rise and fall of state civilizations around the world, and reveals the historical experience and grave lessons behind the flourishing and demise of great civilizations. By comparing world civilization with Chinese civilization, it breaks through the assumptions imposed on us by Western ideas of civilization and seeks the true foundations that have enabled China to endure throughout 6,000 years of human history. It also uncovers the core values that can sustain our national spirit. The Age of the State proposes five historical periods in the age of states, spanning everything from creation myths to contemporary society. While detailing the rise and fall of each period, it seeks, through comparisons across history and between civilizations, to answer why the Chinese people have remained the most resilient national civilization over 6,000 years, and what political and intellectual treasures in Chinese civilization people today must fully understand and can offer the world as a source of insight.