Short History of China: From Ancient Dynasties to Economic Powerhouse

Kerr presents a pocket-sized overview of Chinese history. It touches on the prehistorical and quickly accelerates to the early empires, warring states period and Han revolution. The book's principal period is the last 2000 years of Chinese history. Kerr is most concerned with high politics and ruling-class culture of China, most closely considering figures of the State, but also invasions, philosophers and literary figures, and revolutionaries. This could be a secondary text in a class where cursory knowledge of China is useful. Kerr is a writer and has published a similar "short history" of Africa. Distributed in the US by Trafalgar Square Publishing. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
From the beginnings of Chinese prehistory right through to internet censorship, a comprehensive introduction to the sprawling history of this enormous countryAn absorbing introduction to more than 4,000 years of Chinese history, this book tells the stories of the tyrants, despots, femmes fatales, artists, warriors, and philosophers who have shaped this fascinating and complex nation. It describes the amazing technological advances that China's scientists and inventors made many hundreds of years before similar discoveries in Europe. It also investigates the Chinese view of the world and examines the movements, aspirations, and philosophies that molded it and, in so doing, created the Chinese nation. Finally, the book examines the dramatic changes of the last few decades and the emergence of China as an economic and industrial 21st-century superpower.