The Book of Han (《漢書》Hàn shū) literally means “Book of the Han Dynasty”. Compiled by Ban Gu (班固 Bān Gù), with finishing work by his sister Ban Zhao and scholar Ma Xu, this foundational text is China’s first dynastic‑history work.Written in the jizhuan (annal‑biography) format, it records roughly 230 years of Western‑Han history, from the founding of the Han in 206 BCE to Wang Mang’s usurpation in 23 CE. It consists of imperial annals, chronological...

In this poignant memoir the New York Times bestselling author of Falling Leaves, Adeline Yen Mah, provides a fascinating window into the history and cultural soul of China. Combining personal reflections, rich historical insights, and proverbs handed down to her by her grandfather, Yen Mah shares the wealth of Chinese civilization with Western readers. Exploring the history behind the proverbs, she delves into the lives of the first and second emperors and the two rebel w...

'The following year Qin unified all under Heaven and the title of August Emperor was immediately adopted.' The short-lived Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BC and created an imperial legacy that lasted until 1911. The extraordinary story of the First Emperor, founder of the dynasty, is told in the Historical Records of Sima Qian, the Grand Historiographer and the most famous Chinese historian. He describes the Emperor's birth and the assassination attempt on his l...

Herbert Allen Giles (8 December 1845 – 13 February 1935) was a British diplomat and sinologist, educated at Charterhouse. He modified a Mandarin Chinese Romanization system earlier established by Thomas Wade, resulting in the widely known Wade-Giles Chinese transliteration system. Among his prolific works were translations of Confucius, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, and the first widely published Chinese-English dictionary. The Manchu conquest of China was a long period of war (1618-1644)...

There are indeed enough Histories of China already: why yet another one? Because the time has come for new departures; because we need to clear away the false notions with which the general public is constantly being fed by one author after another; because from time to time syntheses become necessary for the presentation of the stage reached by research. Histories of China fall, with few exceptions, into one or the other of two groups, pro-Chinese and anti-Chinese: the latter used to pred...

The first ever comprehensive history in English of China's Warring States period, an era that saw epic battles, the birth of profound philosophies, groundbreaking innovations, and shaped much of East Asian culture as we know it today In 481 BCE, ancient China was on the cusp of one of the most profound revolutions any society has ever undergone, one that would set the course of world history for the following two millennia and a half. The ruling order that had been set up...

Homer B. Hulbert's The History of Korea (Vol. 1 & 2) is an ambitious early twentieth-century synthesis of Korean civilization, tracing its development from legendary antiquity through dynastic formation, Confucian statecraft, foreign invasions, and the pressures of modern imperial politics. Written in a lucid, Victorian historical prose, it combines narrative chronology with cultural commentary, placing Korea within East Asian and global contexts while preserving traditions, institutions, ...

This abridged edition introduces readers to the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel.One of the great works of Chinese literature, beloved in East Asia but virtually unknown in the West, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of China under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years after the unification, the Ming-era author Feng Menglon...

The Manchu people, a nomadic tribe from the northeast, rose up in 1616 and took the lead for the new era. The great leader Nurhaci step by step took control of the weakened empire. His successors went on to drive away Russian incursions, to re-unite with Taiwan, and to settle unrest in the regions. Tax reforms and administrative improvements helped solidify the gains.Stability brought prosperity, and prosperity enabled noteworthy innovations in technology and the arts. The Qing Dynasty's g...

This volume completes Keith McMahon’s acclaimed history of imperial wives and royal polygamy in China. Avoiding the stereotype of the emperor’s plural wives as mere victims or playthings, the book considers empresses and concubines as full-fledged participants in palace life, whether as mothers, wives, or go-betweens in the emperor’s relations with others in the palace. Although restrictions on women’s participation in politics increased dramatically after Empress Wu in the Tang, the autho...

Homer B. Hulbert's "The History of Korea" serves as a comprehensive exploration of the Korean peninsula's socio-political evolution, cultural heritage, and historical trials. Written in the early 20th century, the book employs a narrative style that intertwines meticulous research with vivid storytelling, reflecting the historiographical trends of its time. Hulbert, with his understanding of both Western and Eastern perspectives, deftly presents Korea's rich past, emphasizing key events an...

Frank Ching brings to life 900 years of Chinese history through his own fascinating family tree. Beginning with his search for the grave of his first recorded ancestor, the 11th century poet Qin Guan, and ending with a moving account of his relationship with his father, a victim of China's historic upheaval, Frank Ching introduces a colourful cast of characters. His unbroken family line includes - among many others - a lovelorn concubine, a traitor, a military hero, an imperial ghost-write...