The Byzantine Empire: A Comprehensive History (Complete in Four Volumes)

This book examines all the major topics related to Byzantium. It develops original views and a series of studies, grounded in reliable evidence and shaped by a materialist view of history, on such subjects as the ecological environment that determined the course of the Byzantine Empire; resource development and material production; economic trends and basic structures; the political system centered on imperial autocracy; the centralized bureaucracy; social classes and people's lives; Byzantine culture and thought; the military system and mercenary forces; the blending of diverse cultures and the formation of the core of Byzantine culture; and cultural exchanges between Byzantium and China.

The book establishes a framework through which Chinese scholars can discuss the historical development and cultural evolution of Byzantium. This framework encompasses views on the rise and fall of Byzantine history, the model of Byzantine social development, and the evolution of Byzantine culture.