Synopsis
Describes the discoveries and inventions of the ancient Chinese from four thousand years ago through the sixteenth century, and explains how they effected Chinese society
Reviews
Grade 5-7. Despite the subtitle, this book also looks at famous persons and dynasties of Chinese history from 1700 B.C. to the 16th century. Some of the inventions included are the casting of bronze bells, crossbows, paper, silk, a seismograph, printing, the abacus, the compass, and porcelain; the ideas range from religion, to improvements in agriculture, to medicine. The arrangement of the 36 topics is roughly chronological. Sidebars highlight related legends or ideas. The Pinyin system of transliteration is followed, although the life force "qi" may be more familiar to Westerners as "Chi." A map of Asia is presented on the endpapers. In addition to Fong's watercolor paintings, color photographs, diagrams, and reproductions of ancient Chinese art appear throughout. Although there is no glossary, unfamiliar terms are defined in the serviceable text. The index is not comprehensive (e.g., "block printing" appears, but not "printing"; "Su Song's clock," but not "clocks"). This is not as visually attractive as Arthur Cotterell's Ancient China (Knopf, 1994), which covers many of the same topics. Although Heather Millar's China's Tang Dynasty (Marshall Cavendish, 1996) emphasizes the period from A.D. 600-907, it presents some of the same information on religion, government, medicine, and arts and crafts.?Pam Gosner, formerly at Maplewood Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
A concise history of Chinese thought and creativity, covering not only scientific ideas and inventions, but religion and philosophy, government, trade, farming, and more. From the obvious (the invention of paper and printing) to the unusual (the creation of an early seismograph), the information is presented clearly and spans centuries and sources of endeavor. Each page contains extended information on a given topic, such as the relationship between salt production and natural gas lighting, along with frequent sidebars of relevant facts and stories. A combination of full-color illustrations and photographs of artifacts convey plenty of information; some uncredited black-and-white drawings are of lesser quality (they look like old copyright-free prints, reproduced too many times to be useful). Nevertheless, the book is intriguing, as much fun to browse as it is to sink into for research. (maps, diagrams, chronology, index) (Nonfiction. 9-13) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Gr. 4^-6. Rather than giving a narrative survey of Chinese history, this colorfully illustrated book focuses on specific topics related to ancient Chinese culture, history, tradition, and invention. These topics, presented succinctly in one or two pages, include papermaking, agriculture, medicine, and astronomy. Sometimes related topics are discussed, such as the Silk Road and the making of silk or the Ming dynasty and the making of porcelain. Illustrations include watercolors, drawings, and diagrams created to support the text as well as many excellent photos of artifacts and reproductions of period artwork. Students may not find enough information here for a report on a specific topic, but this book is an attractive starting point for learning about ancient China. Carolyn Phelan
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