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Foundations of Chinese Civilization: The Yellow Emperor to the Han Dynasty (2697 BCE - 220 CE)
by
Who founded China? Are Chinese people religious? What is Chinese culture and how has it changed over time? The accessible and fun Understanding China Through Comics series answers those questions and more.
For all ages, Foundations of Chinese Civilization covers China's early history in comic form, introducing philosophies like Confucianism and Daoism, the story of the Silk ...more
For all ages, Foundations of Chinese Civilization covers China's early history in comic form, introducing philosophies like Confucianism and Daoism, the story of the Silk ...more
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Paperback, 168 pages
Published
May 31st 2016
by Stone Bridge Press
(first published April 12th 2016)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Foundations of Chinese Civilization: The Yellow Emperor to the Han Dynasty (2697 BCE - 220 CE)
2016 Review:
I went into this with almost no real knowledge of Chinese history, and most of the history I was aware of is what I learned from fiction, or what I learned of China in relation to countries whose history I learned more of. I came to the point of wanting to learn more about eastern history, as most of my knowledge is based around western history. This is an excellent summary of early Chinese history.
This is written in an easy to read, graphic novel style that makes it well suited to a ...more
I went into this with almost no real knowledge of Chinese history, and most of the history I was aware of is what I learned from fiction, or what I learned of China in relation to countries whose history I learned more of. I came to the point of wanting to learn more about eastern history, as most of my knowledge is based around western history. This is an excellent summary of early Chinese history.
This is written in an easy to read, graphic novel style that makes it well suited to a ...more
Nov 20, 2017
Helen
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone.
Recommended to Helen by:
No-one.
Shelves:
china
I thought this was an excellent and most enlightening presentation in graphic history form, of about 2,000 years of Chinese civilization. It is well-written and well-drawn; I've given it 5 stars because for me at least it clarified and explained many "mysteries" about China, its geography, the relationship of its geography and the dynastic cycles (in fact, the term dynastic cycle was something I even heard of previously). This book conveys a great deal of useful information about China in an acc
...more
If I had to sum this book up in one word, it would be, "unsurprising." This is, in many ways, a typical history book. The accounts are presented without embellishment, each fact meticulously researched and rigorously checked, all pinned to a board in neat rows like so many insects in a Victorian museum. Granted, the subject is huge. With so much history to tackle in such a short book, it was inevitable that the text would leap frantically from highlight to highlight. The cartooning is decent, bu
...more
1600 BCE Shang dynasty
1200 BCE Oracle bone script
1046 BCE Zhou dynasty
551 BCE Confucius born
221 BCE Qin dynasty
202 BCE - 220 CE Han dynasty
105 CE Cai Lun invents papermaking process. [p. 148]
[p. 8]
1. A ruler unifies China and founds a dynasty.
2. Prosperity.
3. Population increase.
4. Scarcity, corruption, inequality.
5. Flood/drought, foreign invasion, power grabs.
6. Famine, rebellion.
7. Government collapses in war.
8. Millions die.
9. Rebel leader repeats #1. [pp. 16-17]
It's an ugly story.
Western hi ...more
1200 BCE Oracle bone script
1046 BCE Zhou dynasty
551 BCE Confucius born
221 BCE Qin dynasty
202 BCE - 220 CE Han dynasty
105 CE Cai Lun invents papermaking process. [p. 148]
[p. 8]
1. A ruler unifies China and founds a dynasty.
2. Prosperity.
3. Population increase.
4. Scarcity, corruption, inequality.
5. Flood/drought, foreign invasion, power grabs.
6. Famine, rebellion.
7. Government collapses in war.
8. Millions die.
9. Rebel leader repeats #1. [pp. 16-17]
It's an ugly story.
Western hi ...more
An extremely dry introduction to the history in China. The "comic" aspect of this little book could have been much better and rather than teaching through comics, it made little amendments through the addition of illustrations. It could have been so much more had either a stronger focal point been added, telling the life story of each emperor who left a mark on what will become China, getting to know the influences that shaped those characters themselves. True, it would be an enormously lengthy
...more
Excellent. Lucid, insightful, well structured and with thoughtful use of the potential of the graphic novel/book format
![Amanda [Novel Addiction]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1415744673p2/4886503.jpg)
I took a Chinese History class in college, and even though we had an entire semester, there was too much to cover. This book does a great job summarizing the massive amount of information, and explaining the different policies instituted during the different dynasties. I'd give it four stars, but I wasn't too big a fan of the illustrations.
...more
A greatly informative summary comic covering recorded Chinese history until the end of the Han dynasty. A few of the people and concepts have prior name recognition (the Silk Road, Confucianism, Sun Tzu, the Great Wall, etc) and this offers context on how they fit in; most inclusions are totally new to me, though. Liu manages to tell this nearly 3000 year story as a broad but cohesive serial narrative that feels well-researched, offering explanations in a tone that doesn’t seem especially judgme
...more
Pretty good as an overview. More of a broad and concise general chronology than an in-depth one. Short intro and context to Chinese Civilization and a good springboard for further reading and study. Took in various factors into account - interesting to see how China’s power balance was primarily influenced by three things: constant nomad threats (led to the creation of the Silk Road), natural disasters, and power intrigue/system (human greed). Focus placed around the changing of dynasties and po
...more
Really great introduction to the history of China beginning with its foundations during the BCE times. Presented in a graphical format, Jing Liu provides an overview of how Chinese civilization has developed using various resources as well as writing in a simplified manner. While I would like to read a dense history book, this is really great for a quick overview to get familiar with historical figures as well as learning about the Chinese dynasties. This series is currently 4 volumes long, goin
...more
The first of the four part series on the history of China. The book covers a lot of economic, geographic, agricultural and military reasons for the growth and transition of different dynasties in China. A good good look at how history and different eminent people influenced the philosophy, culture, language and script of modern china.
The illustrations and comic book format makes the history accessible without compromising on the facts which sometimes makes the subject dry. A lot of information i ...more
The illustrations and comic book format makes the history accessible without compromising on the facts which sometimes makes the subject dry. A lot of information i ...more
More expository than I'd expected, but still plenty readable. Creating an introduction which is neither tedious nor dizzying is no small feat, given the scale of space and time.
I especially appreciated the frequent inclusion of maps and map overlays. My education in geography was basically limited to the contiguous US and parts of the Mediterranean... I tend to be lost while reading books about or set in China. Liu particularly excelled in addressing that gap.
...more
I especially appreciated the frequent inclusion of maps and map overlays. My education in geography was basically limited to the contiguous US and parts of the Mediterranean... I tend to be lost while reading books about or set in China. Liu particularly excelled in addressing that gap.
...more
I don't know much about Chinese history but I feel this book did a good job of breaking down the first part. The graphics helped make more complicated ideals of agriculture and government layout understandable in just a few pages. I'm excited for the next one, but I think this deserves a second read because as well laid out as it was that was a lot of information coming at me fast
...more
My review for this whole series (minus the second book, which my library did not have a copy of) is the same: The author is trying to race through confusing dynasties and philosophy and does that part really well, often at the expense of the art.
A excellent primer on Chinese history for a Westerner such as myself. We don't necessarily learn these things in school and I don't really have the time (or inclination) to slog through a thick tome of Chinese history. This is the happy middle ground.
...more
Informative intro to early Chinese history.
Many more eunuchs than expected.
Kind of Textbook.
Not bad for a primer to get in touch with China history. Very light and easy to read, although, of course, very superficial and summarized. Too bad that I can't find the last book in kindle format...
...more
This is a very well done comic. I wish there was more details into the clans themselves, but since it hard to simplify so much information, I believ this was well done.
Short but informative and easy-to-understand introduction to the early Chinese dynasties, their rulers, governments, economies, accomplishments, rises and falls.
Excellent graphic overview of 3000 years of ancient Chinese history. Wish it had a glossary, rather than assuming young readers understand the meaning of words like “dynasty” and “eunuch.”
Brief but lucid overview of Ancient China, covering through the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220.
A graphic account of Chinese history, or rather, part one of a four-part series of graphic accounts of Chinese history. If you've been around here for a while, you know that I always wanted to study Chinese history, and got a little bitter because I couldn't ever take a class on it. Well, Jing Liu heard my cries of woe and answered them with this.
The actual series is called Understanding China Through Comics, and so far (I'm halfway through the second book) it's informative and easily understood ...more
The actual series is called Understanding China Through Comics, and so far (I'm halfway through the second book) it's informative and easily understood ...more
I was given this book by the Amazon Vine program in return for an honest review.
This first volume of Foundations of Chinese Civilization covers the earliest known history of China. It is told in graphic novel format. The font is excellent and the illustrations good. The book covers the history, philosophies, and education systems of the time.
It is packed full of facts, but it is sadly dull.* It comes alive when it focuses on one person, such as Confucius or Cai Lun, but when the book is giving ...more
This first volume of Foundations of Chinese Civilization covers the earliest known history of China. It is told in graphic novel format. The font is excellent and the illustrations good. The book covers the history, philosophies, and education systems of the time.
It is packed full of facts, but it is sadly dull.* It comes alive when it focuses on one person, such as Confucius or Cai Lun, but when the book is giving ...more
Intelligent.Authoritative.Vital.
-**Thank you for my free Goodreads copy**
-**Thank you for my free Goodreads copy**
Amazing idea but it got dull halfway through. I am still impressed by the concept. Going to look into what else this company has produced.
3.5 stars.
Conveys a huge amount of history in fairly easily digestible chunks. I like the use of a comic to make the information more approachable.
Conveys a huge amount of history in fairly easily digestible chunks. I like the use of a comic to make the information more approachable.
Really, I think more people would read history if more history was available in graphic novel format. Two thumbs up, would read again.
Exciting, entertaining! What a great way to learn history!
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