Chinese Lives: The People Who Made a Civilization

Download or read book Chinese Lives: The People Who Made a Civilization written by Victor H. Mair and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2013-05-01 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 3000 years of Chinese history presented through the lives of ninety-six illustrious participants from all periods and all parts of the country China is the most populous country on earth, with the longest history of any modern nation. Here, the full range of Chinese cultural and scientific achievements, as well as its military conquests, wars, rebellions, and political and philosophical movements, are told through the eyes of real people who created or were involved in them. The subjects include emperors and empresses, concubines, officials and political figures, rebels, exiles, philosophers, writers and poets, artists, musicians, scientists, military leaders, and committed pacifists. From Fu Hao, an early warrior lady of the thirteenth century BC, to the late twentieth-century leader Deng Xiaoping, their careers, achievements, misdeeds, disasters, punishments, ideas and love stories make this an unforgettable read. Illustrated with portraits, paintings, written documents, bronzes, sculptures, and location maps, and written in an authoritative yet accessible style, Chinese Lives provides the perfect introduction to China’s history and her peoples.