What Makes China China? (Ge Jianxiong Collected Works, Vol. 8)

Where does China’s long history begin?

How did Chinese civilization take root and flourish, enduring through the ages?

How did the Chinese people grow and prosper, becoming the great family of 56 ethnic groups we see today?

In dozens of recent essays, Professor Ge Jianxiong draws on his profound knowledge of history and unique insight into the present. He tells the story of Chinese civilization’s origins and development, from the oracle bones and bronze that carried the first glimmers of civilization, to the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers that gave rise to countless brilliant cultures, and on to the Grand Canal and Silk Road, which shaped exchanges across regions and with the world. This is more than a look back at history: it is also a profound exploration of cultural confidence, inviting us to reconsider the roots and future of Chinese culture amid today’s complex and changing world.