A General History of China, Volume One

In A General History of China, we have taken a distinctly different third approach, doing our best to minimize subjective judgments and broaden our perspective beyond traditional topics such as the rice economy, dynastic clan systems, threats from northern nomadic peoples, and Confucian orthodox thought. We have included major historical events concerning agriculture, science, crafts, culture, tax systems, legal systems, and bureaucracy, transforming the nature of traditional Chinese histories from imperial genealogies into historical encyclopedias. Though we strive to present the facts of Chinese history in an unadorned style, no one can expect a single history book to recount every rise and fall, every cultural achievement, and every institution in China's past. After all, the weight of five thousand years of Chinese history is more than any book can bear. We simply hope the vivid, meticulous prose in these pages will help you feel the might of the flourishing Tang dynasty and the economic boom of the Two Song dynasties; that lifelike images of historical artifacts will let you experience the brutality of warfare and the might of the powerful Han cavalry; and that photographs of sites weathered by time will evoke the artistic beauty of the Northern Dynasties' grottoes and the elegant entertainments of the Southern Dynasties... Beyond helping readers journey back to the past through text and images, we also hope to make weighty historical facts accessible and let the wisdom of history illuminate your life.