China references

Reference Material
for China's Dynasties

As one might expect, in school we learn mostly about the history of the country and region in which we are born and raised. Fortunately, a wealth of material is available for non-Asians who wish to familiarize themselves with China's rich history. I myself had no problem finding reference material in English even within China itself.

I have not attempted scholastic discipline in offering accurate quote or references as could be expected in more formal publishing. Mine are merely websites collecting some of the tidbits and great stories from a few thousand year of China's history. Rarely are direct quotes used anyhow and the websites are non-profit.

I feel however that I owe the authors of the material credit for their great literature. Below I have listed some of the books that I used in order to gather the limited information you can find on my website:

Cover	Description
	Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors. Ann Paludan, 1998. 224 pages. An excellent and well written chronicle of all Chinese emperors -as the title suggests. The book covers the historical timeline but also explores numerous themes of Chinese history, culture and society. Actually a real pleasure to read and strongly recommended.
	A Journey into China's Antiquity. National Museum of Chinese History, 1997. Four volumes each about 300 pages. Pricey, but beautiful and highest quality print of the antique treasures of the National Museum of Chinese History. Emphasis on historical and archaeological accuracy. You need time to study all four volumes but they are rich in detail and photography.
	China - A New History. Fairbank & Goldman, 1992. 546 pages. A good expanded summary with more emphasis on later dynasties and history up to the late 1990s.
	A History of China. J.A.G. Roberts, 1999. 341 pages. A rich source of information with good details behind some of the mainstream historical events. Very concise and worth-while reading.
	China - The Land of the Heavenly Dragon. Edward L. Shaughnessy, 2000. 256 pages. A somewhat different view of China. A theme orientated approach to China and its culture with a wealth of photography and artwork. Not so much a history book but a rich and authoritative entrance to various aspects of Chinese society, beliefs, customs, traditions and innovations.
	The FIRST Emperor of China. Wu Xiaocong & Guo Youmin, 2000. 127 pages. A well compiled book rich on archaeological and artistic pictures. Explores most aspects of China's first emperor as well as the first united Chinese dynasty in an easily accessible format. Good reading if you wish to concentrate on this subject but also touches on many associated themes.
	Tales of Emperor Qin Shihuang. Yuan Yang & Xiao Ding, 1999. 186 pages. A pocketsize paperback compilation of 34 tales of China's first emperor. Fun and easy reading loaded with great stories of doubtful origin and truthfulness but entertaining.
	Exhibition of Chinese History. National Museum of Chinese History, 1998. 190 pages. A catalogue of the official Chinese Historical Museum (currently closed for renovation). Excellent picture coverage and -quality of China's archaeological history but thin on history (also not intended).
	The Search for Ancient China. Corinne Debaine-Francfort, 1999. 159 pages. Pocketsize review of archaeological finds in China in a historic perspective. China seen through the eyes of an archaeologist. Despite its small size and few pages still offers some very authoritative and historical accurate information.
	Two Millennia's Mystery: The First Emperor's Underground Terra-cotta Legions. Sun Hong, 2001. A blow-by-blow and very scholastic comprehensive view of the archeological discoveries around China's first emperor's tomb in Xi'an. If you want to know all the details of the excavation and finds then this is your book. It's dry but very accurate and contains a wealth of data.
	Historical Atlas of the Classical World. John Haywood, 1998. Covers the period 500 BC to AD 600. Wealth of maps and historical information depicting early world civilizations and major world events. Good reference material and cartography (and sold too inexpensively). Particularly informative on the "Warring States Period" for my purposes.
	Atlas of World History. Patrick O'Brien, 1999. 368 pages. An authoritative and international guide to the history of the world from the origins of humanity and until year 2000. Although this book is comprehensive covering a 12,000 year span, it is less useful for specific events of the early Chinese history. High quality.
	Atlas of World History. Rand McNally, 1992, 192 pages. Very different cartography than the above atlases. Apart from some informative maps the associated text offers a well-written introduction to the events surrounding the maps. Less comprehensive than the above which also the number of pages suggests, but rich and imaginative on specific topics.
	More to come...