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Product Description
Product Description
Although China's great empire lasted for longer than any other, no country has suffered so great an imbalance between the fame of its art and obscurity of its history. The names of the great dynasties are familiar, yet who can actually locate a T'ang horse or a Ming vase in its social or cultural context? By focusing on the key colourful characters of the eight major dynasties, Bamber Gascoigne brings to life 3500 years of Chinese civilization. His bird's-eye view starts on the borders of myth. It moves swiftly on to the greatest achievements of language and thought, the cultural treasures and imperial palaces, wars won and lands lost to the Mongols, finally to arrive at the 1912 Revolution, which contained within it the seeds of Communism that ensured the overthrow of the last emperor. Via this portrait of an empire and its peoples he has opened the door to a world for too long inaccessible to the West.
About the Author
Bamber Gasgoigne won scholarships to Eton and Cambridge, and a Harkness Fellowship to Yale. He presented television's University Challenge for 25 years and has written several books, including The Treasures and Dynasties of China, A Brief History of the Great Moghuls and A Brief History of Christianity.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
This is a gripping and excellently written introduction to the history of imperial China. It gives a very good insight into each of the dynasties without being at all dry. As a student of Chinese I particularly appreciated Gascoigne's thoughts on the language. He is really insightful and it was he obviously has a very good understanding of the development of the language and its richness. The book quoted many interesting and varied sources, letters between officials, Tang dynasty poems etc. I'd say this book is one of the best introductions to Chinese history I've seen, and anyone with any interest at all in this fascinating country would really enjoy it.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful read... full of interesting facts & observations, yet leaves you feeling like you've just relaxed to a novel rather than waded through a history textbook. Highly recommended!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Yuan, Ming, Qing - they are all names that crop up in Chinese movies. Of course these are really the names of the great Chinese dynasties so the choice of names is no accident.
This remarkably accessible work takes you through the Chinese dynasties. At the end of it you have a much broader view of the world and an understanding of how Chinese history sits alongside that of the West.
This remarkably accessible work takes you through the Chinese dynasties. At the end of it you have a much broader view of the world and an understanding of how Chinese history sits alongside that of the West.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A great introduction to the very long and complex history of China
I am not a great one for history books, but wanted to brush up on my Chinese history. This was a very readable and easy to digest book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Crispin
Excellent brief overview - highly readable
A superb,informative and very interesting read of the dynasties of China.
Gascoigne knows this territory well and there are amusing anecdotes throughout that make this... Read more
Gascoigne knows this territory well and there are amusing anecdotes throughout that make this... Read more
Published 3 months ago by mazza
Strangest structuring in a history book
Writting a history book based on the oldest still living civilization was never going to be an easy nor comprehensive task, further due to the fact that it is written in less than... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Darryn
Not what is suggested by the title
Before I begin with the flesh of this review I would like to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. S. Milton
Highly recommended
Having spent many years trawling through European history I found myself turning to the Far East. Where better to start on a totally new topic than this excellently accessible... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mark
China of the past
Excellent book for those that do not want to plow through a 600 page crusty and dusty book. The different dynasties are dealt with in a well organised and informative way. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. David Street
Engaging and easy to read, but littered with basic factual...
Provides a broad but superficial overview of Chinese history which will appeal to the casual reader with a general interest. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2009 by Gordy
A great primer for Chinese history
The history of China is vast, complex and fascinating. It is necessary to have some sort of "road map" before delving deeply into the subject. Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2009 by Matthew Culley
A good place to start
This brief book is just over 200 pages and it is sufficiently detailed for a general reader who may have difficulty differentiating their Shang from their Song. Read more
Published on 6 April 2009 by Mac McAleer
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