China: A History
My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
China: A History
by
John Keay
An accessible, authoritative single-volume narrative history of China, from the earliest times to the present day, designed both to engage the general reader and to challenge the horizons of the China specialist.
Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. With the world’s longest tradition of history...more
Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. With the world’s longest tradition of history...more
Published
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
235)
John
is currently reading it
December 8, 2011.
I'm 230 pages into this fascinating book. I've been reading serious history for about 45 years now, and I'm glad to encounter one that introduces me to the history of China, which I have known only through its archeology and ceramics. I'm fascinated by the insights that collations of archeology and political/social history affords. I will also say that the "dynastic kaleidoscope" is a bit more than even I, who possesses a very high tolerance for tedium, can...more
I'm 230 pages into this fascinating book. I've been reading serious history for about 45 years now, and I'm glad to encounter one that introduces me to the history of China, which I have known only through its archeology and ceramics. I'm fascinated by the insights that collations of archeology and political/social history affords. I will also say that the "dynastic kaleidoscope" is a bit more than even I, who possesses a very high tolerance for tedium, can...more
I confess that prior to reading this book I hadn’t tackled any dedicated histories of China. My only knowledge of its past was related to great power interventions in European history books, newspapers and magazines, the odd programme on TV and what I’d seen at places like the British Museum. As such I have nothing on the subject to compare this book to.
However, despite my inability to make comparisons with other works I did find this book very useful and learnt a lot. It may be th...more
However, despite my inability to make comparisons with other works I did find this book very useful and learnt a lot. It may be th...more
view 1 comment
Darran Mclaughlin
added it
I decided to read this because, like most westerners, I know nothing about China. Seeing that it is going to be the most powerful country in the world I thought it would be sensible to remedy this situation. This book was exactly what I was looking for. A good, general history of China for the average reader. The history of China is a dramatic, diverse and significant as the history of Europe, but longer. I didn't come away from this with more than a cursory knowledge and understanding of Chines...more
The info overload is tough to overcome. You can read a 5000-year history of your own civilization because you have lots of small mile-markers engrained all around you, from school, pop culture, etc. Tackling 5000 years of an utterly foreign world is tough. (Especially with all the names changing and getting re-defined every paragraph. Yeesh. Pick one, stick with it, willya?)
Emily
marked it as to-read
I'm officially putting this one back on my "to-read" shelf. I'm 150-ish pages in and it's such slow going that I'm losing interest. Not in the topic (because I am fascinated by ancient China) and not in the book itself (Mr. Keay makes thousands of years of Chinese history very readable and interjects amusing wordplays and such to keep readers awake). But I keep getting distracted by other books and just can't give it the focused attention it requires right now. Maybe later...
An interesting overview, but the author tries to cover too much material - the entire history of China, from 2000 BC to the present - to fit it all into one volume. The author also is prone to making what he evidently regards as witty comments, but which detract from the narrative.
Never have i been as disillusioned about Chinese culture as i am now. No more pure hearted rebels of the Song dynasty, no more Taoist masters performing martial arts miracles. Now all i can think of when i think about China will be waves of autocrats, the yellow river flooding, and peasants eating eachother. Sheesh.
So good that I'm reading it again. This time I'm appreciating John Keay's style - noticing the little snarky bits, the amusing asides, an occasional lyricism, black moments recording the fates of historians, concubines or the inhabitants of whole cities.
But what most appeals is the forward momentum the author achieves while taking us through how many millenia? (5-6? if you count the legendary emperors) of what has always been the most populous, almost always the most advanced, and a...more
But what most appeals is the forward momentum the author achieves while taking us through how many millenia? (5-6? if you count the legendary emperors) of what has always been the most populous, almost always the most advanced, and a...more
this is my first book about china so I can not compare it. the over all experience is good
Julie
marked it as to-read
"All history is subject to revision."
"Three to six thousand years of continuous civilization could simply indicate three to six thousand years of what others have found a continuously perplexing civilization."
"...the discontinuities in China's record may deserve as much attention as the proud concept into which they have been conflated."
"Three to six thousand years of continuous civilization could simply indicate three to six thousand years of what others have found a continuously perplexing civilization."
"...the discontinuities in China's record may deserve as much attention as the proud concept into which they have been conflated."
A very good insight for someone not familiar with China.
Westerners frequently think that Western history is the only important history. Granted, we may not explicitly think this, but when we talk about "ancient" history we generally refer to the Greeks and Romans. So, this book is a good introduction to one of the major Eastern civilizations in history and today, as well as clearing up some misguided information that we often hear from people who don't know what they are talking about. But, unfortunately, it's not a great book in terms o...more
While this is an at times irreverent look at the history of China, there was just too much history compacted into a short work that turns into war after war. I barely made it into the A.D.'s before stopping.
- man this is a hard slog; I find it very difficult with Chinese history books to keep track of all the names and places (they all sort of mix together after a while)
- maybe I'll finish it one day!
- maybe I'll finish it one day!
Melanie Reed
added it
Very well written over-view of Chinese history - of course with a quite broad brush. This is a good initial introduction to China.
Excellent. The most manageable history of the celestial empire I have read. Somehow Keay manages to make it accessible, clear and understandable. A serious achievement.
John Keay is my favorite historian, by far. His history of China makes for a good read, even though I have a lot of trouble remembering the names (not his fault). He is entertaining but serious at the same time.
Reviewed at The Guardian, The Independent
One of the best single volume histories of China available. Avoids the common flaw of having way too many pages on recent events. Nice balance and despite the sheer scope of the book, manages to provide sufficient detail to satisfy
Only finished this one because it's a bought copy. It's rather dull, and you can definitely tell that this is a commissioned work, not one written for love of the topic.
It is the overview I have been looking for for years. Some of the maps could have been placed differently and included more information. A great overview.
Gautam Jha
marked it as to-read
Senthil Prabhu
marked it as to-buy
Tanvi
marked it as to-read
Lucas
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
