China: A History - Softcover

John Keay

3.92

2,074 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007290810 ISBN 13: 9780007290819

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008

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Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. With the world’s longest tradition of history-writing, its extraordinary past ought to be common knowledge. China, by the eminent historian John Keay, should make it so.

Informed by the latest research and enlivened by wit and anecdote, Keay’s narrative spans 5,000 years, from the Three Dynasties (2000 220 BC) to Deng Xiaoping’s opening of China and the past three decades of economic growth. Broadly chronological, the book presents a history of all the Chinas including regions (Yunnan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria) that account for two-thirds of the People’s Republic of China land mass but which barely feature in its conventional history.

Crisp, judicious, and engaging, China is destined to become the classic single-volume history for anyone seeking to understand the past, present, and future of this immensely powerful nation.

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About the Author:

John Keay, formerly a special correspondent for The Economist, contributes regularly to the Sunday Telegraph, Times Higher Educational Supplement, and the Literary Review. The author of numerous books, including the classic India: A History, he lives in Argyll, Scotland.

Review:

Library Journal
“Without sacrificing substance for brevity, Keay manages to illustrate China’s history very much as a narrative... Readers already interested in, or wishing newly to embark upon, Chinese history will adore this book. Highly recommended.”

Philadelphia Inquirer
“China: A History marks a welcome advance... [Keay’s] touch is deft and faithful to the tenor of the debates, especially those between archaeologists and literary scholars.”

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