When published in 1982, this translation of Professor Jacques Gernet's masterly survey of the history and culture of China was immediately welcomed...
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reviews
May 30, 2011
Steve
rated it: 
This is a considerable lump of volumes, somewhat dense and drier than a tin of birds custard. It is however interesting still for all that. From the earliest known history right up to Tienanmen Square in 1989 Gernet whizzes through it all. The version I have is the Folio Society printing of the Cambridge University Press 1996 revision. There are a couple of older versions 1973, and 1982 which have less in the final chapter. The final chapter discusses the end of the Mao Tsu-tung era and the star
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Jun 09, 2010
Douglas
rated it: 
In my ongoing quest to gain a general knowledge of China and its history I trudged my way through this exhaustively, comprehensive and scholastic tome. I'm sure the last sentence seems a criticism, when, in fact, I intend it as, well, a statement of fact. I found it full of them. Enough that I imagine that it would serve well as a graduate program text book.
For my purposes, it provided such a detailed look at the trees, I got completely lost in the forest, and sometime forgot I was i More...
For my purposes, it provided such a detailed look at the trees, I got completely lost in the forest, and sometime forgot I was i More...
Nov 18, 2009
Mkp
rated it:
Gernet's coverage is very interesting and encompasses the full range of Chinese history. He is very much an appreciator of Chinese culture, but he has his own perspective which colors the disquisition. In particular, his Marxist sympathies are always in the background. Perhaps not surprisingly, he is highly dismissive of Taoist and Buddhist culture and feels that they diminished Chinese society. He also dismissed Confucius, although he seems to think that the later Confucian tradition (to wh
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Aug 31, 2011
Good survey of Chinese history. Includes some details on intellectual history besides the political and economic trends. The last few chapters on the 19th and 20th centuries are less well-written.
Jul 08, 2011
carly
rated it:
I shoved my nose in this book almost ever day for two semesters, but I don't think I retained a single word of it.
May 20, 2011
Lesley
rated it: 
so far...(ch 1-3)
throws a LOT of facts at you & the translators are guilty of mass circumlocution (every damn sentence). never the less...interesting
Notes of use:
Author uses wade-Giles (get out your converter)
It is best to understand the basic structure of ancient china prior to reading, not the layman structure of what is meant by "Chinese"
It gets easier to read as you move along, especially keeping in mind the above.
Jan 17, 2012
Some pictures and charts and tables are quite useful, but it's astonishingly difficult to read, although it isn't *in* Chinese at all. Indeed I didn't get past the first one or two chapters. Instead, I preferred Franke/Trauzettel's "Das chinesische Kaiserreich".
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