History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations

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Poor quality
A very thorough survey of Chinese and Japanese history
Art, Literature, Religion-- fully interdisciplinary
Schirokauer Thorough & Entertaining

A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations
Conrad Schirokauer , Miranda Brown , David Lurie , and Suzanne Gay
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1
Sources of Japanese Tradition (Second Edition), Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600
The Tale of Genji
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ASIN: 0534643078

Book Description

This full-color introductory text emphasizes cultural history while also covering political and economic history. Each major Chinese dynasty, Japanese Shogunate, or other discrete period is covered in a separate, brief chapter. Encounters with the West (beginning in the 16th century) are also extensively covered. In addition to Conrad Schirokauer, this text has three new co-authors. Miranda Brown teaches in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and focuses on early Chinese culture. David Lurie researches the history of writing systems in Japan and also works on the cultural and intellectual history of Japan through the Heian period. Suzanne Gay is Professor of East Asian Studies at Oberlin College. Her research interests include the social and economic history of medieval Japan, with a particular emphasis on the role of commoners in history. This author team combines strong research with extensive classroom teaching experience to offer a clear, consistent, and highly readable text accessible to students with no previous knowledge of the history of China or Japan.

Customer Reviews:

Poor quality.......2006-10-07

I'm a college student majoring in East Asian Studies. This book is required for the intro course, and I hate it. Even ignoring the folly of trying to teach two of the world's oldest civilizations in one slim volume, I still can't recommend this title. It's poorly written (the number of typos and grammatical mistakes are atrocious, especially for a 3rd edition) and the tone is too "dumbed-down" for my taste. Worst of all, the writers did a terrible job in selecting what should be included in a one-volume history of China and Japan. They jump around from topic to topic in an attempt to cover as much material as possible, but they end up sounding indecisive. At the same time, too much of the book is focused on historical anecdotes and art of the period- which is interesting, but not appropriate to a one-volume history of two vast civilizations. The book might succeed if the prose could be polished and better material selected. As of now, I hate having to read something that reads like a long report slapped together by a couple high school kids. I can't wait to sell this back.

A very thorough survey of Chinese and Japanese history.......2005-03-16

This book was specifically recommened to me by a Professor at the University of Texas as a fantastic "starter" on Chinese history. A fantastic read, this college text introduces the reader to Asian civilization in a way that provides information on both the history of Japan and China, as well as a very in-depth look at the cultures which grew out of this history. As Dr. Shirokauer clearly states in his introduction, this book serves as a survey in order to give the reader a general idea on the key aspects (both historically and culturally) of both the Japenese and Chinese civilizations. Weighing in at around 650 pages, this book is a massive undertaking in historical scholarship and provides a fantastic opportunity for the reader to gain a full understanding of Asia, while still leaving the reader thirsty for more at the end. Luckily, a thorough explanations of sources and a very large additional reading section provide avenues for those interested in Asian history to pursue specific topics.

For China, this story focuses around the various dynasties which ruled that country for so long. Beginning with the most early archealogical findings available for China and continuining through the Zhou, Song, Tang, Ming, etc... For Japan, the focus centers around the central administration of Kyoto until the creation of the Shogun and the rise in prominence of Edo (located at present-day Tokyo).

One aspect of this work which so distinguishes it from other college texts on these civilizations is it's focus on the cultural aspects of these two civilizations. The author covers the evolution of art in all forms, everyday living, architecture, and religion in as detailed a fashion as he explains their history. In this way, the reader is able to see a very detailed cultural progression that stands out due to the fact that most history books only pay minor lip service to the importance of culture in a society.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about a part of the world that is quickly catching up with it's Western neighbors. As countries like China and Korea begin to frequent more and more national headlines, it is important to understand the key aspects which differentiate it from the West. Not only will this knowledge better inform you of how these people live, but it will provide you with a historical perspective that explains how they got there in the first place.

Art, Literature, Religion-- fully interdisciplinary.......2000-12-11

I am Prof. of Interdisciplinary Humanities at San Francisco State and this has been classroom book of choice. Perhaps book's title should have been "a CULTURAL history of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations." A good 1/3 to 1/2 of each chapter is art, architecture, religion. For instance, "Tokugawa Japan," after four history sections, includes sections on "The Japanese Print... The Popular Theater: Kabuki and Bunraku... Popular Prose Literature... Haiku... Art and Lit after Genroku... Intellectual currents...." Pages are studded with apt illustrations. Undergrads liked though thought it pricey, but it replaced history and art books both.

Schirokauer Thorough & Entertaining.......2000-04-28

As a professor of Asian History, I have found that this text is invaluable as a learning tool for hundreds of students. It thoroughly grounds the reader in the history of Asia. Schirokauer uses narrative and analytical thinking to present Asian History in an accessible and digestible format. The book offers an essential body of information about a massive geographic area that is as diverse as it is fascinating. Each section thoroughly reviews key historical trends in a style that is interesting and a genuine good read.

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture

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Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture
Edward L. Davis
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0415241294

Book Description

In the last quarter-century, the resources of China's pre-socialist past have been rediscovered and combined with current influences to reinvent Chinese culture. This is the first source to digest China's vast cultural output and make it accessible to the English-speaking world. More than 1,000 entries, written by an international team of specialists, explore a diverse range of subjects- from prisons to rock groups and underground Christian churches to TV talk shows- while also offering biographical essays and information on more traditional cultural topics. The book's focus is on mainland China since 1980, but it also includes coverage of Hong Kong and Taiwan. Entries are indexed under eighteen categories for easy thematic browsing and include up-to-date references for further reading.

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An important book for understanding modern China
A decent reference, but could be stylistically better
Has its strengths and weaknesses, but look at the price!
Good reference w/ some detriments from a Chinese pt. of view
My favorite one-volume Chinese history

A History of Chinese Civilization
Jacques Gernet
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Cambridge Illustrated History of China (Cambridge Illustrated Histories)
China: Its History and Culture (4th Edition)
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ASIN: 0521497817

Book Description

When published in 1982, this translation of Professor Jacques Gernet's masterly survey of the history and culture of China was immediately welcomed by critics and readers. This revised and updated edition includes a detailed chronology that has been updated through 1993, a new bibliography, and an expanded index that includes Chinese characters.

Customer Reviews:

An important book for understanding modern China.......2006-02-08

My main interest in history is to understand the development of civilization from earliest times, and since I had been concentrating mainly on the Middle East and Egypt, I realized I had to know more about the eastern civilizations of India and China. After rereading China's Imperial Past by Charles O Hucker (ISBN 0804708878 which was published in 1975), I searched for later books on the same subject, which would hopefully provide more details about the development of Chinese civilization. I liked the reviews of this book, and so I purchased it.

Professor Gernet certainly provides a very detailed review of Chinese civilization from earliest times to the present day, with a helpful introductory chapter, many useful maps and summary tables, a long Chronological table, many interesting plates and photographs, and an extensive bibliography and index, all of which I found to be essential for obtaining an understanding of what I was reading. This 800 page book is in 11 parts chronologically arranged by dynasty and comprises 32 chapters in all.

I found one of the most enjoyable features of the book to be Professor Gernet's admiration for of the achievements of the people of China over the past 2000 years, and in particular, his description of the continuity and improvements which have occurred to political administration, technological developments, and political and philosophical thought despite the many political upheavals and diverse origins of successive dynasties. What I also found very appealing were his deep sympathies to their enormous sufferings particularly in the last 150 years

This book generally covers the same topics as Professor Hucker's book does for the period up to 1850 and they are usually quite consistent in their descriptions of events. While both books are strong on the subjects of literature, philosophy and art, I found that Professor Gernet was the better on the subjects of social and economic development and that Professor Hucker was much easier to follow on the essential threads of political history, even though Professor Gernet provides rather more detail. However, whereas Professor Hucker ends his book in 1850, Professor Gernet devotes the final chapters of his book (150 pages) to the consequences of the economic and social decline of China from 1800 onwards, which resulted in the massive rebellions of the period 1850-1875, the takeover of China by the nations of the West and Japan, and the establishment of the People's Republic of China

While this was not a reason I purchased this book, I did find it particularly helpful in understanding the reason for the success of Chinese Communist Party in founding the People's Republic of China. The final chapter of the book which summarizes the main events of the period up to 1992, went a very long way in helping me understand the behaviour and logic of the leaders of the PRC, and the book as a whole clearly demonstrated to me that a good knowledge of the past history of a country is essential in understanding its attitude and behaviour in modern times.

Due to the sparseness of available records and publication of archaeological data the coverage of the very early period to the end of the Warring States period was disappointingly brief. But the level of detail certainly picks up from the time of the formation of the first centralized state in 221BC. The most interesting sections for me were those covering the events of the T'ang, the Sung, and the Manchu dynasties and I now have a much better understanding of the involvement of China's rulers with Central and South East Asia, Korea and Japan. I was, however, disappointed in the section on the Yüan (Mongol) dynasty and had to supplement my reading of this period with the book on the Mongol invasion of Europe by James Chambers, and what I could find on the Internet

I have to say that I found this book very difficult to follow at times, not just because of the multitude of unfamiliar places, large number of people, and events, but because the book was organized by subject matter rather than chronological order. I also got the distinct impression that some parts of the book had been rather hurriedly put together from a collection of notes which were not always consistent in the dates or particular order of significant events. On many occasions I became confused as to what was the cause and what was the effect! As a result, I found it necessary to make extensive notes on people, places, events, and philosophical thought in order to fully understand what I was reading. Consequently it took me all of 9 months to complete the reading of the book which was considerably longer than I had planned.

But and notwithstanding my personal disappointments it was certainly it worth the effort. While I found it to be harder to read than Professor Hucker's book I found it to have significantly additional information on China, and the extensive bibliography will be very useful for my continuing studies on the Bronze Age civilizations of China and Central Asia I am glad I persevered to the end, and I do recommend it to other readers.

A decent reference, but could be stylistically better.......2005-10-28

Contentwise, you might want to read other reviews of this book. As for me, allow me to explain my rather sub-par score...

I am currently taking a course that uses this book as a reference book (although we've never referred to it in class). I've been interested in Ancient Chinese culture because a large part of my knowledge comes from Kung Fu movies, a troubling notion that I felt had to be fixed. Essentially, I've never studied Chinese history from before the cultural revolution.

That being said, I'm sure Gernet is a wonderul writer, but the cambridge university press needs to be dragged out into the street and beaten with copies of this book till they agree to do a better job (or at least hire an editor)

An example- this is one sentence:

"The developement of infantry units from the sixth century B.C on wards- in Chin at the time of the battles in the mountainous country against the tribs of Shansi, and probably also in Wu and Yueh, where the terrain was scarecely any more suitable for chariots because of the lakes and numerous watercourses- down to the huge armies of foot-soldiers of the third century was to have very important consequences, and one may say that the advent of the centralized state was closely linked to this change in the technique of warfare."

I had to stare at this sentence for all of about 3 minutes before I could break it down and understand what it was trying to say:

Techniques in warfare were favoring foot soldier use because of the development of a central state and because of the varied terrain in China. These changes would have very large consquences in the third century.

In a sense, the book is just a tad hard to read because of awkard sentence structures. And believe me, when you encounter these sentences for 600+ pages, it gets old fast.

Give me history in a clear, concise book, or give me french!

That's just my 2 cents.

Has its strengths and weaknesses, but look at the price!.......2003-05-06

If you compare this book to its obvious competitors (e.g. Valerie Hansen's Open Empire, Schirokauer's Brief History of Chinese Civilization), you have to be amazed at the relatively low list price--especially considering that the publisher, Cambridge University Press, is not famous for selling cheap books. If you can buy only one textbook history of China, this one is worth considering for that reason alone.

Students tend to have the same complaints about Gernet's book year after year (I've used this book many times in an undergraduate survey of Chinese history): it is too long and confusing, without emphasizing what is "important" and what isn't. Other reviewers on this page have similar concerns: the book isn't organized emperor-by-emperor; rather, it tends to focus topically on themes that cover several emperors' reigns, sometimes whole centuries. But weigh that against the major criticism of the book by professional historians, who argue, on the contrary, that the book is arranged only too rigidly according to a periodization imposed from Western history (ancient, medieval, modern, etc.). There isn't enough space here to get involved in these theoretical issues, but it should be clear that Gernet is to be lauded, not derided, for his courage to depart from the old fashioned year-by-year, emperor-by-emperor approach.

This is especially evident in his section on the Six Dynasties (or Northern and Southern Dynasties), which is probably the best succinct account of the period in any Western language. Instead of tediously relating events and dates for this chaotic period, Gernet reveals the underlying socioeconomic forces that dictated the pattern of history in the north and south over the course of this long and complex period. (He happens to be one of the foremost economic historians of China, and is clearly in his element with this kind of historiography.) I believe readers come away with a richer understanding of the Six Dynasties because of Gernet's focus.

Finally, the complaints about Wade-Giles Romanization are unfair and uninformed. When this book first appeared, before the Library of Congress and other major libraries switched to Pinyin, virtually all Chinese books were catalogued according to Wade-Giles, so it made much more sense to write a textbook using that Romanization system than Pinyin. Today, of course, Pinyin would be preferable. But it's not the case that Pinyin is more precise. Both are acceptable Romanization schemes for Mandarin Chinese, and both--assuming one has mastered the principles--indicate the correct sounds efficiently and unambiguously. Criticizing a book about China on the basis of its Romanization system is a bit like judging a book by its cover.

Good reference w/ some detriments from a Chinese pt. of view.......2003-02-10

After searching for three years for a good detailed history of China, I came upon this book in a local bookshop and decided to buy it. However, what came as a disappointment later onwards was that the book does NOT follow a reign-by-reign chronology of the Chinese emperors and uses Wade-Giles transliteration.

Though westerners tend to focus on the culture and policies of dynasties, Chinese historians place equal emphasis on the reigns of emperors. Therefore, most history books in Chinese follow a chronological order of emperors, detailing events by reigning emperor instead of by dynasty (E.g. During Kangxi's reign, x, y, and z occurred; During Yongzheng's reign, m, n, and o occurred; During Qianlong's reign, c, d, and e occurred). However, from a Chinese point of view, "A History of Chinese Civilization" is "all over the place", covering the political policy, culture, achievements, and conquests of dynasties without systematically (and chronologically) naming the emperor reigning when events such as changes in policy, flowering of the arts, writing of a great literary work, conquests of foreign countries, etc. took place. In other words, the book does not pay enough attention to the emperors.

Also of note to Chinese readers is the book's usage of the Wade-Giles transliteration system (e.g. Teng Hsiao-P'ing= China's paramount leader from 1978 to 1989). According to the translator's preface, he was advised by Professor D.C. Twitchett to follow Wade-Giles. However, though some "European barbarians" may find Wade-Giles more understandable because of the English phonetic system, most Chinese will agree that Wade-Giles transliterations (developed by Europeans) are poor representations of Chinese words, which is why the Pinyin system (e.g. Deng Xiaoping= China's paramount leader from 1978 to 1989) was developed by native Chinese recently. Westerners should realise that although some Pinyin sounds are different from what the letters represent in English (e.g. xu is pronounced shü), correctly-pronounced Pinyin represents Chinese sounds exactly as they are. Wade-Giles transliterations, on the other hand, are pronounced in the English way- therefore hsu, which represents Chinese "shü", is pronounced "soo" by westerners, a sound which means something completely different in Chinese.

My favorite one-volume Chinese history.......2001-11-04

This book gives better depth to Chinese history than Spence or Fairbank do. Spence is more concerned with the last 200 years, and Fairbank is too closely tied to the US foreign policy establishment for my tastes. The fact that Gernet is on page 462 of 655 before he starts writing about the Manchus is a good thing. He covers art and economics, politics and religion, with a refreshing equanimity. It would be interesting to hear how well written it is in French, but the English is fine. While clearly Western, Gernet's French persective is a welcome change of pace to these American's eyes.

The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China)

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Solid

The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China)
Mark Edward Lewis
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

China | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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The Government of the Qin And Han Empires: 221 Bce-220 Ce
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ASIN: 067402477X

Book Description

In 221 bc the First Emperor of Qin unified the lands that would become the heart of a Chinese empire. Though forged by conquest, this vast domain depended for its political survival on a fundamental reshaping of Chinese culture. With this informative book, we are present at the creation of an ancient imperial order whose major features would endure for two millennia.

The Qin and Han constitute the "classical period" of Chinese history--a role played by the Greeks and Romans in the West. Mark Edward Lewis highlights the key challenges faced by the court officials and scholars who set about governing an empire of such scale and diversity of peoples. He traces the drastic measures taken to transcend, without eliminating, these regional differences: the invention of the emperor as the divine embodiment of the state; the establishment of a common script for communication and a state-sponsored canon for the propagation of Confucian ideals; the flourishing of the great families, whose domination of local society rested on wealth, landholding, and elaborate kinship structures; the demilitarization of the interior; and the impact of non-Chinese warrior-nomads in setting the boundaries of an emerging Chinese identity.

The first of a six-volume series on the history of imperial China, The Early Chinese Empires illuminates many formative events in China's long history of imperialism--events whose residual influence can still be discerned today.

Customer Reviews:

Solid.......2007-08-26

A solid introduction to Chinese Imperial history. This is the first volume of a projected survey of Imperial history being brought out by Harvard University Press. Lewis presents the first Chinese Empires, the Chin and the Han, as developing several of the basic institutions that would characterize the Chinese state for centuries. These include the overarching goal of a unified state transcending regions, a political system based on the Emperor as source of all authority and focal point of loyalty, the development of a unified intellectual culture serving the state, the demilitarization of the interior and development of professional and client armies defending the frontiers against nomadic peoples, and the emergence of the gentry that would be the mediator between the Imperial center and the countryside.

Lewis describes the Chin/Han as akin to the Classical period of Western history. This is true in both the sense of these societies establishing basic features of their descendant cultures but also in the sense of the problems of reconstructing their histories. As with Classical history, Lewis draws on literary accounts, contemporary histories, a modest amount of surviving primary documents, epigraphy, and archaeological evidence. One thing that appears to be different is the greater degree of continuity between the Chin/Han and later states.

Lewis covers the emergence of the initial Chin empire from the preceding Warring States. This seems to be the story of the development of a relatively centralized and militarized state emerging from a welter of feudatories, and then able to conquer rival states to produce a unified Empire. The history of the succeeding Han is presented as a partial dismantling of Chin institutions to produce the basic features of the Chinese state. Lewis does not present a typical narrative but rather more of a structural analysis. Much of the book consists of thematic chapters on family life, religion, intellectual culture, and law. This may be due in part to the limitations of the narrative record. Perhaps for the same reason, some very intriguing aspects, such as the apparent considerable monetarization of the Chinese economy are not explored. There is a particularly interesting discussion of the military strategies adopted by the Han to deal with Central Asian nomads and how their failure apparently precipitated the fall of the Han.

Lewis is a competent, as opposed to very good, writer. Perhaps because of the survey format, there are some limitations for the general reader. A brief discussion of the nature of the Zhou feudal state would have been useful. Similarly, Lewis has a good discussion of the emergence of an official intellectual canon but little discussion of the actual content of its different components. Having raised the comparison with Classical history, Lewis provides no comparative discussion. For example, the use of Central Asian nomads as client armies invites comparison with the later Roman Empire.

There are a number of maps but they are not of very good quality. Overall, this is a good start for this series.

The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800 (Critical Issues in History)

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The Tao of China rising !
Must for whoever that are interested in Chinese studies
Not too shabby
Good introductory book

The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800 (Critical Issues in History)
D. E. Mungello
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fail Safe

ASIN: 0847694402

Book Description

For too long, the history of contact between China and the West has been portrayed as a one-sided encounter: Europeans were said to have discovered China, while Chinese responses to the West went largely unnoticed. In this book, D. E. Mungello dispels the myth that China was a silent partner in the dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations. Although they did not reciprocate in sending ships, cultural emissaries or religious missionaries westward, neither did the Chinese passively accept Europe's enthusiastic embrace of their culture, arts, and manufactures. Aspects of Western art, science, and religion made significant inroads into Chinese culture, which are only recently coming to the attention of Western historians. And at a time when the West is once again setting its sights on strengthening ties with China, Mungello's work offers crucial historical perspective. It reminds us that the political and economic dominance of the West is actually characteristic of only the past two centuries, prior to which it was China that led the world in terms of economic and political development, and in the sophistication of its high culture and technological achievement. This concise and well-written text will make a wonderful addition to reading lists in East Asian or Chinese History classes, as well as courses on World History. Visit our website for sample chapters.

Customer Reviews:

The Tao of China rising !.......2007-08-24

Prof. Mungello wrote this comprehensive book on the intercourse of China and West in culture and religion in a highly readable text.
Between 1500-1800, China was a powerful country. Catholics dreamed of converting China into a Christian country. However, it was Chinese influence to Europe to bring about Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. He showed that missionaries sent back Tao Te Ching, I Ching and Confucius teaching to the European educated to help bring about the Enlightenment Movement.
What would happen when China is Christianized and the West goes Taoist Way?
By 1800, China was still in its glorious satisfaction while European Powers underwent industrialization. Britain unable to balance the trade deficit pushed opium and war on China. The 1997 Hong Kong Hand-over concluded the last British Imperial chapter in history. China was at its nadir at 1900 Boxer Movement with eight foreign countries invaded Peking.
Napoleon said, "When China wakes, it will shock the world". History affirms the Tao in East and West, strong and weak, grandeur and decline, war and peace. Prof. Mungello presents the readers the historical background to understand the modern China. A number of Westerners see Deng's reform with market economy lead to China rising as a world threat. Reading this book will help open up their horizon.

Will US wage war on China in the billions of dollar trade deficit as their British cousins did in 19th Century?

Must for whoever that are interested in Chinese studies.......2003-01-28

Dr. Mungello has done a great job in presenting how the (Far) West met with Chinese culture over the period of 1500-1800. This book was written in easy and non-technical language. As a Chinese that has learnt Chinese history all through my school years, I am intrigued to read simialar materials presented from a Western perspective in simple English.

Dr. Mungello noted that the Chinese in Song Dynasty mistook the picture of Virgin Mary as Guanyin (Chinese Goddess of the sea). A three-story high statue given by Portuguese to Macau, China shortly before 1999 was meant to be Guanyin but it certainly looks like Virgin Mary. What went around has come around:) Thanks for writing such a good book and I enjoyed it very much.

Not too shabby.......2002-11-06

I think Mungello has done a wonderful job in reconstructing the meeting between China and the Western world.

Good introductory book.......2000-04-14

University Profs take note: Although I had to read this book because I was in the author's class at Baylor, it really is a good introductory book. Dr. Mungello is one of the world's top Sinologists and did his graduate work at the U. of California at Berkeley and I am privelaged to be one of his students.

Half of the book is focused at the West meeting China, and the other half is China meeting the West. It answers the questions: What did the West reject and accept from China? What did China accept and reject from the West?

A Brief History of Chinese Civilization
Average customer rating:

Brief History of Chinese Civilization - Very Useful Survey

A Brief History of Chinese Civilization
Conrad Schirokauer , and Miranda Brown
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0534643051

Book Description

With a design inviting to today's students, this full-color concise book emphasizes Chinese cultural history while also covering political and economic history. Highlighting key topics with 89 illustrations, including maps, timelines, and other photos, this text provides brief, yet complete coverage of each major Chinese dynasty. To round off the book, additional discrete periods are examined in a separate chapter. New co-author, Miranda Brown covers the first three chapters, "China in Antiquity," "Turbulent Times in Classical Thought," and "The Early Imperial Period," while Conrad Schirokauer writes the balance of the text. This text also addresses recent developments in China, up to and including the massacre at Tiananmen Square, Foreign Relations and Hong Kong and Intellectuals and Artists in the Nineties and Into the New Century.

Customer Reviews:

Brief History of Chinese Civilization - Very Useful Survey.......2000-09-12

I found this a well indexed book to support a course in the History of Chinese Civilization (as a student) - easy to digest but with rich illustration of pieceds of art etc.

Book Description

For Introduction to Chinese History and Introduction to East Asia courses.

A clear and manageable single volume narrative covering all the major periods of Chinese history. The text is presented chronologically and features brief principle interpretations to provide an accessible introductory overview of an expansive subject area.

The Formation of Chinese Civilization: An Archaeological Perspective

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A Comprehensive Review

The Formation of Chinese Civilization: An Archaeological Perspective
Kwang-chih Chang , and Pingfang Xu
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States (New Studies in Archaeology)

ASIN: 0300093829

Book Description

Paleolithic sites from one million years ago, Neolithic sites with extraordinary jade and ceramic artifacts, excavated tombs and palaces of the Shang and Zhou dynasties—all these are part of the archaeological riches of China. This magnificent book surveys China’s archaeological remains and in the process rewrites the early history of the world’s most enduring civilization.

Eminent scholars from China and America show how archaeological evidence establishes that Chinese culture did not spread from a single central area, as was long assumed, but emerged out of geographically diverse, interacting Neolithic cultures. Taking us to the great archaeological finds of the past hundred years—tombs, temples, palaces, cities—they shed new light on many aspects of Chinese life. With a wealth of fascinating detail and hundreds of reproductions of archaeological discoveries, including very recent ones, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Chinese antiquity and Chinese views on the formation of their own civilization.

Customer Reviews:

A Comprehensive Review .......2007-09-10

"The Formation of Chinese Civilization" reviews the archaeology of early China, from the earliest appearance of humans in the Paleolithic era, to the unification of the Chinese state in the Qin and Western Han dynasties. It is one of the volumes in Yale's China series. Organization is chronological, and each chapter is written by a different author. The book is beautifully illustrated, although the photos of museum objects are mostly "window dressing:" this is a book about archaeology, not art history.

Since the authors are all senior Chinese archaeologists, the reader will find authoritative commentary and an orthodox viewpoint throughout the book. Orthodoxy in this case means that the authors all subscribe to the idea that humans originated independently in China, and followed a civilizational development through progressive stages of matriarchy, patriarchy, slave society, etc., per standard Marxist theory. In practice, however, the authors' wide experience and knowledge more than compensate for any lingering ideological difficulties.

Although no one could accuse this book of being undersized, I found that many important topics were only touched on very briefly. Sanxingdui is given only one and one-half columns; only two columns for the Great Wall; the whole discussion of final Qin-Han unification is disappointingly short. In compensation, at least brief mention is made of numerous recent excavations that bear on the questions - of state formation and the development of Chinese civilization - addressed in this book. Some major conclusions are: the multi-regional nature of early China; cultural continuity from earliest times; the importance of religion (shamanism) in culture and politics; and the interplay between lineage (family) and territory in the formation of the Chinese state.

Although hardly for beginners, most serious students of Chinese archaeology will want to read through this volume.

Average customer rating:

A good introduction to China's History
Extremely readable synthesis of classic scholarship
An absorbing tour through the centuries

The Dynasties of China: A History
Bamber Gascoigne
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786712198

Book Description

Shang, Chou, Han, T’ang, Sung, Yuan, Ming, Ch’ing — for most Westerners, they stand only as adjectives to describe a lacquer, a bronze, a silk, a watercolor. And for all the familiarity a blue and white porcelain vase from the Ming dynasty or the bright and sturdy pottery figures of horses and grooms from the T’ang may now have acquired, the history of the civilization that produced them remains obscure. So do the names of the potters and artists and philosophers and emperors and generals — except perhaps for those of Kublai Khan, who was not Chinese, and K’ung Fu Tzu — known as Confucius — who flourished a century before Socrates. Focusing upon the incidents and personalities that epitomize most vividly each of the dynasties, this lucidly narrated volume, beautifully illustrated by a lavish selection of color photographs, places in their historical context the images that came to define imperial China from its origins in 1600 B.C. to the revolution of Sun Yat-sen in October 1911. It provides a background to China’s turbulent twentieth century, which is surveyed in an informative postscript, highlighting such events as the troubled presidency of Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-tung’s ruthless Cultural Revolution, and the 1989 student protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

Customer Reviews:

A good introduction to China's History.......2005-07-27

I just liked this book because I wanted to read a good brief history of China and I think this book manage to do that. It is a well written book to introduce yourself to this ancient culture.

Extremely readable synthesis of classic scholarship.......2005-02-12

Early on in the introduction to this book, author and ex-gameshow host Bamber Gascoigne quizzes the reader on their knowledge of Chinese history with questions in the vein of `which came first between Song and Tang' and `name a Chinese emperor besides Kublai Khan.' If you happen to be privy to this information, chances are you won't find anything earth-shattering or even particularly new here, but if, falling in with one of Gascoigne's running themes, you've heard of Ming vases and Tang poetry and are curious about some of the stories behind the "inscrutable monosyllables" that describe them, The Dynasties of China: A History is an extremely well-written, accessible, and consciously Eurocentric yet relatively harmless place to start.

The book is divided into 8 chapters, each devoted to a big name Chinese dynasty. There were of course many more, but Gascoigne's focus, and his greatest strength here, is building up on what the `lay reader' is most likely to be familiar with going into the text. Parallels and references to the `western tradition' abound, but they are deftly handled, steering clear of reductionism and exotification. That said, the book is at its best in the earlier chapters covering the legends of high antiquity through to the fall of the Han, a vast stretch of time including some of the least well-known eras in Chinese history. After that we immediately skip ahead some four centuries to the Tang dynasty (fans of the Three Kingdoms period will need to look elsewhere), which is given a bizarre treatment as the entire chapter is almost exclusively handed over to a description of the relationship between Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen, who were, admittedly, accomplished poets and occasional minor statesmen. While it's normal for general history books like this to elaborate on certain stories to put the focus on underlying trends and major social developments instead of on names and dates, it's still pretty rare to see an intro to the Tang where the Empress Wu Zetian basically only shows up in a clarification of the naming system (in case you're asking why there are so many Wu's) and a towering figure like the Taizong Emperor Li Shimin isn't mentioned at all. It could be noted that Gascoigne's elevation of Bai Juyi to something of a backbone supporting Chinese civilization throughout the ages is a rather novel approach, as well as a pretty good hint that we're getting more of a tour of heavyweight traditional scholars like de Bary, Watson and Waley (lots and lots of Waley) than of "primary," or even "Chinese" sources.

This contentment with relying on `western observers' becomes much more evident in the later chapters, where we're presented with the Mongol Empire essentially as recorded by Marco Polo, the Ming through Matteo Ricci's eyes, and the late 17th through the 18th century, which saw the Qing Empire take Chinese Civilization to its arguably greatest heights, is given the customary polite nod of acknowledgement before Gascoigne launches into the inevitable and sufficiently apologetic and `self-critical' retelling of the opium wars and the destructive role of imperialism in the construction of Modern China, dotted with quips from the period's (usually British) participants. This actually works well enough here, as, again, the point of this book isn't to provide a comprehensive historical account of the area, but to flesh out the background that most readers of English already have of Chinese history. Gascoigne excels at this and keeps the information as clear and familiar as possible. The details are necessarily anecdotal at best, and while we zip through some controversies, historical exceptions and peculiarities without so much as a second glance, all the major `macro' themes are there and the reader should finish this book with a painlessly acquired grasp of the bigger picture that will hopefully lead to further, and better informed, reading.

It's already a well worn cliché to highlight the challenge of condensing X thousand years of imperial Chinese history into Y hundred pages, and this is hardly the most exhaustive attempt out there. It is, though, an engaging and relatively quick read (contrary to what it says above, the book has a total of 228 pages including the index and short bibliography), and is definitely recommendable to anyone with even a passing interest in the area, for getting your bearings during an introductory course, or as a rewarding way to spend a lengthy first or second flight to China.

An absorbing tour through the centuries.......2004-01-14

The Dynasties Of China: A History By British author Bamber Gascoigne is an informed and informative history of the eight major dynasties of ancient China that span 3,500 years of Chinese civilization. The focuses is upon crucial characters of Chinese history, from antiquity up to the 1912 revolution that spelled the end of an Empire. Concise and fact-filled, specially written so as to be easily accessible to the lay reader, The Dynasties Of China: A History is an absorbing tour through the centuries and a highly recommended addition to school and community library World History collections.

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