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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
A comprehensive view of the whole of Chinese history. It has the feel of a textbook - which is a good thing in many ways, it's definitely not a book of 'popular history' written for the general reader. It doesn't focus on the kings-and-things but gives a broad introduction to the whole range from political to social to economic. The scale of the task means that it is quite light touch but if you're looking for an overview to give the background before moving on to more specific subjects (in my case 'Wild Swans' and a biography of Mao) then this is an excellent start. That said, it doesn't quite reach up to date (the final chapters are written by Merle Goldman after John King Fairbank passed away) and run to the early 2000's.
informative
reflective
The history of China is very heavy on the modern period. I mean it is a work written by a westerner a fairly standard history of China. Not a big fan of Mao or the CCP but I would rather hear a left-wing treatment of history I mean a standard centrist history is ok but honestly, I don't think our mainstream has the best POV. Not bad though.
Interesting analysis of China's history and the causes behind its current development today.
A bit too focused on the 20th century for my tastes, but a good overview of China more or less since the Qin.
Excellent summary of China. I liked how it doesn't always go chronologically, but walks through different aspects of Chinese society and history so you can see it as a whole.