100 Best China History Books of All Time (Updated for 2026)

1

The Art of War

Sun Tzu

5.0

For more than two thousand years, The Art of War has stood as a cornerstone of Chinese culture-a lucid epigrammatic text that reveals as much about human psychology, politics, and economics as it does about battlefield strategy. The influence of Sun-tzu's text has grown tremendously in the West in recent years, with military leaders, politicians, and corporate executives alike finding valuable ins

Recommended by Reid Hoffman, Evan Spiegel, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and 14 others.

Reid Hoffman

CEO/LinkedIn

Reid read Carl von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu as a boy, which informed his strategic thinking. [source]

Evan Spiegel

After meeting Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel immediately bought every Snapchat employee a copy of 'The Art Of War'. [source]

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist, Author & Science Communicator

Which books should be read by every single intelligent person on planet? … The Art of War (Sun Tsu) to learn that the act of killing fellow humans can be raised to an art. If you read all of the above works you will glean profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world. [source]

2

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

Jung Chang

4.6

Three remarkable women--grandmother, mother, and daughter--struggle to survive in a true-life saga that spans 20th-century China with all its violence: wars, invasions, revolution, and continuing upheaval. A thrilling adventure story, Wild Swans is an important work of history, and a breathtaking testimony to the human spirit. 16 pages of photographs.

Recommended by Richard Branson, Harry Wu, and Vishakha Desai.

Richard Branson

Founder/Virgin Group

Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. [source]

Harry Wu

Wild Swans is talking about people who are living at the highest level of society but they are still suffering persecution and live in fear. And the peasants in the village became slaves, they became nothing. So what the book does brilliantly is give a real insight into what life was like for ordinary people against the backdrop of the ever-changing China. [source]

Vishakha Desai

To me Wild Swans is one of those iconic books for understanding the generations of Chinese women. She is from this amazing intellectual family and it’s about what happens to them. The book just has this tremendous power. It’s an amazing journey. It’s about what women do to survive and also how they suffer. [source]

3

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

Daron Acemoglu

4.5

Preview Summary

Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?

Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are?

Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how t

Recommended by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Daron Acemoglu, and 5 others.

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

"I read two books that raise big, interesting questions about social change and technological progress. I’m planning to write longer reviews of each of these books, but let me flag them for you now. One is Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.The topic of this book is why some countries have prospered and created great living conditions for their citizens while others have not. This is an important topic, which I care a lot about. The book makes an appealing argument that economic development depends on political institutions that protect individual rights. It is well written and very easy to read with lots of interesting historical stories about different countries. But it is a major disappointment. Its analysis is vague and simplistic. I’ll explain more in a longer review." [source]

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder/Facebook

My next book for A Year of Books is Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoğlu and James A. Robinson. This book explores the different kinds of social institutions and incentives that nations have applied to encourage prosperity, economic development and elimination of poverty. This is a good complement to our last book, Portfolios of the Poor, which focused on how people live in poverty. This one discusses why poverty exists and how to reduce it. [source]

Daron Acemoglu

In terms of understanding this top inequality, I mentioned the possibility that it might be about politics. How should we think about politics? What are the levers of politics? For that we need a conceptual framework and that’s what this book tries to provide. It’s co-authored with my long-term collaborator and friend Jim Robinson – and it’s not about US or UK or Canadian inequality. It runs through several thousand years of history, and tries to explain how societies work and why, often, they fail to generate prosperity for their citizens. It’s a very political story. [source]

4

On China

Henry Kissinger

4.5

In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book-length to a country he has known intimately for decades, and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. Drawing on historical records as well as his conversations with Chinese leaders over the past forty years, Kissinger examines how China has approached diplomacy, strategy, and negotiation through

Recommended by Greg Norman.

Greg Norman

Greg Norman said this is one of his most-recommended books. [source]

5

Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China

Ezra F. Vogel

4.5

No one in the twentieth century had a greater impact on world history than Deng Xiaoping. And no scholar is better qualified than Ezra Vogel to disentangle the contradictions embodied in the life and legacy of China's boldest strategist--the pragmatic, disciplined force behind China's radical economic, technological, and social transformation.

Recommended by Bill Gates and Gideon Rachman.

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

If you’re going to read one book about modern China in the period after Mao, then this is the book you should read. [source]

Gideon Rachman

This is the best and most comprehensive book I know, certainly in English, on the Deng Xiaoping era. Deng’s importance will only grow with the passage of time. I think he will emerge as a truly historic figure – less dramatic than Mao, but with more lasting impact if China remains on this course. There was a need for a really serious and readable study of him, and this is a big door-stopping book but a pleasure to read. The author has an eye for anecdote, and I am surprised at how much is known about private conversations at the top of the Communist party. My assumption had been that this was a secret society that didn’t keep records, and we wouldn’t have any clue. [source]

6

The Cambridge Illustrated History of China

Patricia Buckley Ebrey

4.4

More populous than any other country on earth, China also occupies a unique place in our modern world for the continuity of its history and culture. In this sumptuously illustrated single-volume history, now in its second edition, noted historian Patricia Buckley Ebrey traces the origins of Chinese culture from prehistoric times to the present. She follows its development from the rise of Confucia

7

The Rape of Nanking

Iris Chang

4.4

In December 1937, the Japanese army invaded the ancient city of Nanking, systematically raping, torturing, and murdering more than 300,000 Chinese civilians.

This book tells the story from three perspectives: of the Japanese soldiers who performed it, of the Chinese civilians who endured it, and of a group of Europeans and Americans who refused to abandon the city and were able to create a safety

8

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Jack Weatherford

4.4

The name Genghis Khan often conjures the image of a relentless, bloodthirsty barbarian on horseback leading a ruthless band of nomadic warriors in the looting of the civilized world. But the surprising truth is that Genghis Khan was a visionary leader whose conquests joined backward Europe with the flourishing cultures of Asia to trigger a global awakening, an unprecedented explosion of technologi

Recommended by Ben Horowitz, Daymond John, Lisa Ling, and 2 others.

Ben Horowitz

Co-founder/Andreessen Horowitz

Unexpectedly the most interesting book on the topic of how you think about inclusion. [source]

Daymond John

Founder/FUBU

Daymond John said this is one of his most-recommended books. [source]

Lisa Ling

Genghis Khan was a great democratizer. His Mongol Empire conquered more territory in 25 years than the Romans did in 200. [source]

9

Mao

Jung Chang

4.4

Based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before - and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him - this is the most authoritative life of Mao ever written. It is full of startling revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing a completely unknown Mao: he was not driven by ideali

Recommended by Richard Branson and Harry Wu.

Richard Branson

Founder/Virgin Group

Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. [source]

Harry Wu

To this day we don’t really know much about Mao’s personal history. The Communist Party portrays him as the Great Leader. His smiling image is everywhere. Even the political system still follows his model. So what Chang did was delve deeper to discover who is the real Mao? You hear from people like his private doctor talking about his personal history [source]

10

The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower

Michael Pillsbury

4.4

One of the U.S. government's leading China experts reveals the hidden strategy fueling that country's rise – and how Americans have been seduced into helping China overtake us as the world's leading superpower.

For more than forty years, the United States has played an indispensable role helping the Chinese government build a booming economy, develop its scientific and military capabilities, and ta

Recommended by Norbert Mao.

Norbert Mao

@rkabushenga @cobbo3 @AgaSekalala @dfkm1970 @Kalinaki @TioKauma A fascinating book. Next you should read this one by Michael Pillsbury. Reminds me of the race between the hare and the tortoise! One is faster but distracted while the other is slow but steady. https://t.co/231fMeO0TP [source]

11

AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order

Kai-Fu Lee

4.3

Dr. Kai-Fu Lee—one of the world’s most respected experts on AI and China—reveals that China has suddenly caught up to the US at an astonishingly rapid and unexpected pace. In AI Superpowers, Kai-fu Lee argues powerfully that because of these unprecedented developments in AI, dramatic changes will be happening much sooner than many of us expected. Indeed, as the US-Sino AI competition begins to hea

Recommended by Arianna Huffington, Satya Nadella, Yuval Noah Harari, and 13 others.

Arianna Huffington

Founder/The Huffington Post

Kai-Fu Lee's experience as an AI pioneer, top investor, and cancer survivor has led to this brilliant book about global technology. AI Superpowers gives us a guide to a future that celebrates all the benefits that AI will bring, while cultivating what is unique about our humanity. It’s one of those books you read and think, ‘Why are people reading any other book right now when this is so clearly the one they need to be reading? [source]

Satya Nadella

CEO/Microsoft

Kai-Fu Lee's smart analysis on human-AI coexistence is clear-eyed and a must-read. We must look deep within ourselves for the values and wisdom to guide AI's development. [source]

Yuval Noah Harari

Historian

A superb and very timely survey of the impact of AI on the geopolitical system, the job market and human society. [source]

12

The Search For Modern China (Third Edition)

Jonathan D. Spence

4.3

The leading textbook by the leading scholar.

This text, the classic introduction to modern China for students and general readers, emerged from Spence’s highly successful introductory course at Yale, in which he traced the beginnings of modern China to internal developments beginning in the early 17th century. Strong on social and political history, as well as Chinese culture and its intersections

Recommended by Edward Norton.

Edward Norton

The definitive book about modern Chinese history. [source]

13

Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?

Graham Allison

4.3

CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES ARE HEADING TOWARD A WAR NEITHER WANTS. The reason is Thucydides’s Trap, a deadly pattern of structural stress that results when a rising power challenges a ruling one. This phenomenon is as old as history itself. About the Peloponnesian War that devastated ancient Greece, the historian Thucydides explained: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in

Recommended by Fareed Zakaria, Kin Kariisa, and Will MacAskill.

Fareed Zakaria

A very smart and important book. [source]

Kin Kariisa

It was such a memorable and humbling moment meeting Prof. Allison Graham, professor of government at Harvard, on the sidelines of Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity here in Jeju Island, South Korea. His book Destined for War is a fascinating read. https://t.co/ZB3HhBHgLY [source]

Will MacAskill

The last 70 years are a fairly unusual state. We don’t really know why they’ve been so unusually peaceful. This could all change in the 21st century. [source]

14

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

Barbara Demick, Karen White, et al

4.3

Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population.

Taking us into a landscape most of us have never before seen, award-winning journalist Barbara Demick brings to life what it means to

Recommended by Hyeonseo Lee.

Hyeonseo Lee

She includes great details that show everyday life in North Korea. [source]

15

China: A History

John Keay

4.3

An authoritative account of five thousand years of Chinese history
Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 y

16

1421: The Year China Discovered America

Gavin Menzies

4.3

The incredible true story of the discovery of America before Columbus was even born.Gavin Menzies's extraordinary findings rewrite history.

On March 8, 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen sailed from its base in China. The ships, huge junks nearly five hundred feet long and built from the finest teak, were under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. Their mission was

Recommended by Simon Sinek.

Simon Sinek

Author

This is another book that trains us to keep an open mind. It offers a theory of how the Chinese discovered America 70 years before Columbus. The practice of being open to new ways of seeing things makes a leader open to the ideas of others — an essential characteristic of great leadership. [source]

17

Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China

Evan Osnos

4.3

From abroad, we often see China as a caricature: a nation of pragmatic plutocrats and ruthlessly dedicated students destined to rule the global economy-or an addled Goliath, riddled with corruption and on the edge of stagnation. What we don't see is how both powerful and ordinary people are remaking their lives as their country dramatically changes.
As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker,

Recommended by Barack Obama and Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann.

Barack Obama

Former USA President

President Obama is spending his Hawaiian vacation playing golf, getting together with high school friends and reading a handful of dark novels set in foreign lands, according to a book list released by the White House Wednesday. The presidential reading list includes … two works of non-fiction for the trip: "Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China," by Evan Osnos … . [source]

Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann

CEO/Gates Foundation

A standout for me this year was Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, by Evan Osnos. Osnos spent eight years in China as a foreign correspondent, and his book helped me gain insight into today's China through stories of people, some well-known and others ordinary. [source]

18

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

Peter Frankopan

4.3

Preview Summary

The sun is setting on the Western world. Slowly but surely, the direction in which the world spins has reversed: where for the last five centuries the globe turned westwards on its axis, it now turns to the east...For centuries, fame and fortune was to be found in the west - in the New World of the Americas. Today, it is the east which calls out to those in search of adventure and riches. The regi

Recommended by Professor Frank Mcdonough and Raoul Pal.

Professor Frank Mcdonough

Christmas is coming and if you want to give a thought-provoking book to that history fan in your life then the recent books by the brilliant @peterfrankopan will satisfy. Some write books, this guy changes perceptions. https://t.co/gWZWZnv5TN [source]

Raoul Pal

@The92ers @zerohedge It’s fascinating. The Peter Frankopan book on the Silk Roads told history well from the perspective of Iran in particular [source]

19

Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China

Leslie T. Chang

4.2

An eye-opening and previously untold story, Factory Girls is the first look into the everyday lives of the migrant factory population in China.

China has 130 million migrant workers—the largest migration in human history. In Factory Girls, Leslie T. Chang, a former correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Beijing, tells the story of these workers primarily through the lives of two young women,

Recommended by Jeffrey Wasserstrom.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom

I love the way it’s written, and the way that Chang blends her own life story in with it. She pairs the story of her family’s migration out of China to the United States, where she grew up, to the movement of young women from rural China to urban China today. And she sets up a parallel between the way that American cities were transformed by overseas immigrants who fuelled the American industrial rise, with the enormous migration today – that doesn’t involve crossing an ocean or leaving one country for another – of rural dwellers to the world of Chinese cities. I also love the way she brings to our attention the distinctive personalities of young Chinese women. She describes them as working in very difficult conditions, but often experiencing them as liberating, because they have so much more freedom and control over their private life than they had in their villages, where male-dominated family structures remain powerful. [source]

20

Red Star Over China: The Classic Account of the Birth of Chinese Communism

Edgar Snow, Dr. John K. Fairbank

4.2

The first Westerner to meet Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Communist leaders in 1936, Edgar Snow came away with the first authorized account of Mao’s life, as well as a history of the famous Long March and the men and women who were responsible for the Chinese revolution. Out of that experience came Red Star Over China, a classic work that remains one of the most important books ever written about t

Recommended by Elizabeth Perry and John M Hamilton.

Elizabeth Perry

in some ways it seems the most dated of the books I’ve chosen, because it presents a totally rosy portrait of the Communist revolution. But I think for understanding modern China it’s extremely important. And that’s because it does, in rather sympathetic but comprehensive detail, point out both the importance of the land revolution, and the nationalistic revolution, as key elements in Mao Zedong’s revolution. [source]

John M Hamilton

This arguably is the most important book by an American foreign correspondent in the 20th century. At the time it was written in the mid-1930s nobody knew who the communists were. Many thought they were mere bandits. Snow went to the north-west of China to find them. When his book came out the whole equation changed; thereafter communism was understood to be a viable political movement. [source]

21

The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat

Bob Drury

4.2

November 1950, the Korean Peninsula: After General MacArthur ignores Mao’s warnings and pushes his UN forces deep into North Korea, his 10,000 First Division Marines find themselves surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered by 100,000 Chinese soldiers near the Chosin Reservoir. Their only chance for survival is to fight their way south through the Toktong Pass, a narrow gorge that will need to be held

22

Life and Death in Shanghai

Cheng Nien

4.2

A first-hand account of China's cultural revolution.

A first-hand account of China's cultural revolution. Nien Cheng, an anglophile and fluent English-speaker who worked for Shell in Shanghai under Mao, was put under house arrest by Red Guards in 1966 and subsequently jailed. All attempts to make her confess to the charges of being a British spy failed; all efforts to indoctrinate her were met by a

Recommended by Gunhee Park and Rana Mitter.

Gunhee Park

I can’t narrow down one favorite book, but there are a few that have had a strong impact on me over the past few years. Life and Death in Shanghai and Man’s Search for Meaning are great non-business books that have helped me gain a deeper perspective on life. Both books also helps you gain a stronger appreciation of the times we live in today. [source]

Rana Mitter

I think it’s right that Graham Peck was disappointed by the Cultural Revolution. This, of course, was essentially a revolt by Mao against his own party. Mao on one level fears that he is being sidelined by his own party, and on another level feels that the revolution had lost steam 17 years in. A new generation had been born that didn’t remember the struggles of 1949 and it was time to revitalise them and get them on the streets, to feel what a real revolution was like. That was Mao’s intention, and the results – from what we know – pleased him greatly, but they were much more explosive and wide-ranging than perhaps even he would have imagined, with terrible consequences for a very wide variety of people. [source]

23

The Cultural Revolution: A People's History, 1962-1976

Frank Dikötter

4.2

After the economic disaster of the Great Leap Forward that claimed tens of millions of lives from 1958–1962, an aging Mao Zedong launched an ambitious scheme to shore up his reputation and eliminate those he viewed as a threat to his legacy. The stated goal of the Cultural Revolution was to purge the country of bourgeois, capitalistic elements he claimed were threatening genuine communist ideology

Cover unavailable

24

Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution

Helen Zia

4.2

The dramatic real life stories of four young people caught up in the mass exodus of Shanghai in the wake of China's 1949 Communist revolution--a precursor to the struggles faced by emigrants today.

Shanghai has historically been China's jewel, its richest, most modern and westernized city. The bustling metropolis was home to sophisticated intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and a thriving middle class w

25

The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957

Frank Dikötter

4.2

“The Chinese Communist party refers to its victory in 1949 as a 'liberation.' In China the story of liberation and the revolution that followed is not one of peace, liberty, and justice. It is first and foremost a story of calculated terror and systematic violence.” So begins Frank Dikötter's stunning and revelatory chronicle of Mao Zedong's ascension and campaign to transform the Chinese into wha

26

The China Mirage: The Hidden History of American Disaster in Asia

James Bradley

4.2

From the bestselling author of Flags of our Fathers, Flyboys, and The Imperial Cruise, a spellbinding history of turbulent U.S.-China relations from the 19th century to World War II and Mao's ascent.

In each of his books, James Bradley has exposed the hidden truths behind America's engagement in Asia. Now comes his most engrossing work yet. Beginning in the 1850s, Bradley introduces us to the prom

27

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

Mark Edward Lewis and Timothy Brook

4.2

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

28

The Private Life of Chairman Mao

Li Zhi-Sui, Li Zhisui

4.2

From 1954 until Mao Zedong's death 22 years later. Dr. Li Zhisui was the Chinese ruler's personal physician. For most of these years, Mao was in excellent health; thus he and the doctor had time to discuss political and personal matters. Dr. Li recorded many of these conversations in his diaries, as well as in his memory. In this book, Dr. Li vividly reconstructs his extraordinary time with Chairm

29

The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom

Simon Winchester

4.2

In illuminating detail, Winchester, bestselling author of The Professor & the Madman ("Elegant & scrupulous"—NY Times Book Review) & Krakatoa ("A mesmerizing page-turner"—Time) tells the story of Joseph Needham, the Cambridge scientist who unlocked the most closely held secrets of China, long the world's most technologically advanced country.
No cloistered don, this tall, married Englishman was a

30

The Manchu Way: The Eight Banners and Ethnic Identity in Late Imperial China

Mark C. Elliott

4.2

In 1644, the Manchus, a relatively unknown people inhabiting China’s rude northeastern frontier, overthrew the Ming, Asia’s mightiest rulers, and established the Qing dynasty, which endured to 1912. From this event arises one of Chinese history’s great conundrums: How did a barely literate alien people manage to remain in power for nearly 300 years over a highly cultured population that was vastly

Recommended by James Palmer.

James Palmer

Qing borders, with the exception of outer Mongolia, pretty much define the shape of China today. [source]

31

Imperial China 900-1800

F. W. Mote

4.2

This is a history of China for the 900-year time span of the late imperial period. A senior scholar of this epoch, F. W. Mote highlights the personal characteristics of the rulers and dynasties and probes the cultural theme of Chinese adaptations to recurrent alien rule. No other work provides a similar synthesis: generational events, personalities, and the spirit of the age combine to yield a com

Cover unavailable

32

Mao's Last Dancer

Li Cunxin

4.2

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

The extraordinary memoir of a peasant boy raised in rural Maoist China who was plucked from his village to study ballet and went on to become one of the greatest dancers of his generation.

From a desperately poor village in northeast China, at age eleven, Li Cunxin was chosen by Madame Mao's cultural delegates to be taken from his rural home and brought to Beijing, wher

33

Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty II

Qian Sima, Burton Watson

4.2

This second volume of the history of the Han dynasty consists of chapters dealing principally with the reign of Emperor Wu, one of the most energetic and strong-willed of China's Rulers. Here the historian is chronicling events he has witnessed and writing of the men he personally knows or has known. In Nagano Hozan's (1783-1837) words, "He makes us see in our minds the character of the men of the

34

The Origins of the Boxer Uprising

Joseph W. Esherick

4.1

In the summer of 1900, bands of peasant youths from the villages of north China streamed into Beijing to besiege the foreign legations, attracting the attention of the entire world. Joseph Esherick reconstructs the early history of the Boxers, challenging the traditional view that they grew from earlier anti-dynastic sects, and stressing instead the impact of social ecology and popular culture.

Recommended by Elizabeth Perry.

Elizabeth Perry

One thing I should say about all of the books that I have chosen is that they are written by people who devoted an extraordinary effort into really getting inside these particular stories. And they did so either with an exceptional research effort, or with access to first-hand information about China. In the case of Joe Esherick, he spent 1979-80 in China. He was part of the first group of American academics (as was I) who came over to China that year. And he spent the year at Shandong University doing very detailed archival and oral history work. And what he comes up with is really a very novel interpretation of the Boxer Uprising, which emphasises the importance of local popular culture and local ecology in creating different strains of Boxer movements. [source]

35

China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia

Peter C. Perdue

4.1

From about 1600 to 1800, the Qing empire of China expanded to unprecedented size. Through astute diplomacy, economic investment, and a series of ambitious military campaigns into the heart of Central Eurasia, the Manchu rulers defeated the Zunghar Mongols, and brought all of modern Xinjiang and Mongolia under their control.

36

The Cambridge History of China, Volume 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part 1

Frederick W. Mote, Denis Twitchett

4.1

This volume in the authoritative Cambridge History of China is devoted to the history of the Ming dynasty, with some account of the three decades before the dynasty's formal establishment, and of the Ming Courts, which survived in South China for a generation after 1644. Volume 7 deals primarily with political developments of the period, but it also incorporates background in social, economic, and

37

The End of the Revolution: China and the Limits of Modernity

Wang Hui, Rebecca Karl

4.1

Challenging both the bureaucratic one-party regime and the Western neoliberal paradigm, China’s leading critic shatters the myth of progress and reflects upon the inheritance of a revolutionary past. In this original and wide-ranging study, Wang Hui examines the roots of China’s social and political problems, and traces the reforms and struggles that have led to the current state of mass depolitic

Recommended by Rana Mitter.

Rana Mitter

Wang Hui is one of China’s most prominent public intellectuals at the moment, in terms of his international exposure. I think the book is interesting because it gives his very ambiguous – or ambivalent from his point of view – take on what’s happening in China today. [source]

38

Seven Years in Tibet

Heinrich Harrer, Richard Graves, Peter Fleming, His Holiness The Dalai Lama

4.1

Recounts how the author, an Austrian, escaped from an English internment camp in India in 1943 and spent the next seven years in Tibet, observing its social practices, religion, politics, and people.

39

The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers

Richard McGregor

4.1

An eye-opening investigation into china's communist party and its integral role in the country's rise as a global superpower and rival of the united states

China's political and economic growth in the past three decades is one of astonishing, epochal dimensions. The country has undergone a remarkable transformation on a scale similar to that of the Industrial Revolution in the West. The most rema

Recommended by Dambisa Moyo.

Dambisa Moyo

This is why I think Richard’s book is particularly interesting. It’s a sneak peak into the way the Communist Party works. Clearly the Chinese government has succeeded in providing a policy environment that incentivises people to do things – to work hard, to make money – without it necessarily being democratic. Like it or not, they have a rule of law, they have some transparency – certainly enough that foreigners are happy to invest there. It’s not a model of democracy or transparency as we know it in the West, but it’s clearly a good enough system that people feel they want to invest their money there. [source]

40

The Chinese Cultural Revolution as History

Joseph W. Esherick, Paul G. Pickowicz, Andrew G. Walder

4.1

Based on a wide variety of unusual and only recently available sources, this book covers the entire Cultural Revolution decade (1966-76) and shows how the Cultural Revolution was experienced by ordinary Chinese at the base of urban and rural society. The contributors emphasize the complex interaction of state and society during this tumultuous period, exploring the way events originating at the ce

Recommended by Roderick MacFarquhar.

Roderick MacFarquhar

This book is co-edited by two historians at UC San Diego and the same old Andrew Walder. Joseph Esherick and Paul Pickowicz started a year-long seminar for their graduate students, which a number of us spoke at, and these graduate students were then encouraged to go off and do their own research projects. And they really are extraordinarily interesting – and very revealing. There is one, which I have assigned in one of my courses, which tells about the extent of mass violence, based on a number of provinces where this graduate student was able to get really detailed grassroots records. Another, which I’ve also assigned, is about someone who became a hero during the Cultural Revolution, because he had written to Chairman Mao. He was a poor person and he had written to Chairman Mao and got the local situation turned around as a result of his letter. But then he became a villain later on. It’s a complicated story, but it showed how, during the Cultural Revolution and, to be fair, even before in China, it was possible for someone to rise up very quickly and then, when the political wind changed, to be blown down. [source]

41

The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, And The Chinese Martial Arts

Meir Shahar

4.1

The Shaolin Monastery charts, for the first time in any language, the history of the Shaolin Temple and the evolution of its world-renowned martial arts. In this meticulously researched and eminently readable study, Meir Shahar considers the economic, political, and religious factors that led Shaolin monks to disregard the Buddhist prohibition against violence and instead create fighting technique

42

The Cambridge History of China, Volume 9, Part 1: The Ch'ing Empire to 1800

Willard J. Peterson

4.1

This volume of The Cambridge History of China considers the political, military, social, and economic developments of the Ch'ing empire to 1800. The period begins with the end of the resurgent Ming dynasty, covered in Volumes 7 and 8, and ends with the beginning of the collapse of the imperial system in the nineteenth century, described in Volume 10. Ten chapters elucidate the complexities of the

43

To Change China: Western Advisers in China

Jonathan D. Spence

4.1

Recommended by Orville Schell.

Orville Schell

The first book that is worthy of note is Jonathan Spence’s To Change China: Western Advisers in China. It’s the first book he wrote as a young professor. It really is about the discontinuity between China and the West, and efforts by various Westerners – largely Brits but some Americans – to change China from 1620 through 1960, starting with Adam Schall way back in the Ming dynasty, Peter Parker and the missionaries, then Chinese Gordon during the Taiping rebellion and various other people like the Russian Mikhail Borodin. [source]

44

Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel

Guanzhong Luo, Moss Roberts

4.1

Romance of The Three Kingdoms (Hardcover) tells about the three kingdoms, Wei, Shu and Wu, led by Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan and the conflicts and fights among the three political, military blocs during the end of Eastern Han dynasty and the entire three kingdoms period. Based on the broad social and historical backdrop, it shows the sharp, complex and distinctive political and military conflic

45

Hankow: Commerce and Society in a Chinese City, 1796-1889

William T. Rowe

4.1

46

Confucian China and Its Modern Fate: A Trilogy

Joseph R. Levenson

4.1

Three volumes that analyze the secularization and decline of Confucian traditions in 19th- and early 20th-century China.

47

Genesis of East Asia, 221 B.C.-A.D. 907

Charles Holcombe

4.1

The Genesis of East Asia examines in a comprehensive and novel way the critically formative period when a culturally coherent geopolitical region identifiable as East Asia first took shape. By sifting through an impressive array of both primary material and modern interpretations, Charles Holcombe unravels what "East Asia" means, and why. He brings to bear archaeological, textual, and linguistic e

48

The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China

Ralph D. Sawyer

4.1

The Seven Military Classics is one of the most profound studies of warfare ever written. It presents us with an Eastern tradition of strategic thought that emphasizes outwitting one’s opponent through speed, stealth, flexibility, and a minimum of force—an approach very different from that stressed in the West, where the advantages of brute strength have overshadowed more subtle methods.Safeguarded

49

Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of our Times

George Crile

4.1

Charlie Wilson's War was a publishing sensation and a New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times bestseller. In the early 1980s, a Houston socialite turned the attention of maverick Texas congressman Charlie Wilson to the ragged band of Afghan "freedom fighters" who continued, despite overwhelming odds, to fight the Soviet invaders. Wilson, who sat on the all-powerful House Appropriati

50

The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present

John Pomfret

4.1

A remarkable history of the two-centuries-old relationship between the United States and China, from the Revolutionary War to the present day

From the clipper ships that ventured to Canton hauling cargos of American ginseng to swap Chinese tea, to the US warships facing off against China's growing navy in the South China Sea, from the Yankee missionaries who brought Christianity and education to Ch

51

Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road

Rob Schmitz

4.1

An unforgettable portrait of individuals who hope, struggle, and grow along a single street cutting through the heart of China’s most exhilarating metropolis, from one of the most acclaimed broadcast journalists reporting on China today.

Modern Shanghai: a global city in the midst of a renaissance, where dreamers arrive each day to partake in a mad torrent of capital, ideas, and opportunity. Marke

52

A Social History of Maoist China: Conflict and Change, 1949-1976

Felix Wemheuer

4.1

When the Chinese communists came to power in 1949, they promised to 'turn society upside down'. Efforts to build a communist society created hopes and dreams, coupled with fear and disillusionment. The Chinese people made great efforts towards modernization and social change in this period of transition, but they also experienced traumatic setbacks. Covering the period 1949 to 1976 and then tracin

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53

China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire, (10,000 BCE - 1799 CE)

Harold M. Tanner

4.1

Available in one or two volumes, this accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to the political, social, and cultural history of China provides a balanced and thoughtful account of the development of Chinese civilization from its beginnings to the present day.

Each volume includes ample illustrations, a full complement of maps, a chronological table, extensive notes, recommendations for further readi

54

Sun Yat-sen

Marie-Claire Bergère, Janet Lloyd

4.1

Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), the first president of the Republic of China, has left a supremely ambivalent political and intellectual legacy - so much so that he is claimed as a Founding Father by both the present rival governments in Taipei and Beijing. This book argues that the life and work of Sun Yat-sen have been distorted both by the creation of the myth and by the attempts at demythification. I

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55

Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age

Stephen R. Platt

4.1

As China reclaims its position as a world power, Imperial Twilight looks back to tell the story of the country's last age of ascendance and how it came to an end in the nineteenth-century Opium War.

As one of the most potent turning points in the country's modern history, the Opium War has since come to stand for everything that today's China seeks to put behind it. In this dramatic, epic story, aw

56

Inconvenient Memories: A Personal Account of the Tiananmen Square Incident and the China Before and After

Anna WangYua

4.1

57

Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962

Yang Jisheng, Edward Friedman, Stacy Mosher, Jian Guo, Roderick MacFarquhar

4.1

An estimated thirty-six million Chinese men, women, and children starved to death during China's Great Leap Forward in the late 1950s and early '60s. One of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century, the famine is poorly understood, and in China is still euphemistically referred to as "the three years of natural disaster."

As a journalist with privileged access to official and unofficial sour

Recommended by Ma Jian.

Ma Jian

It’s a very thick book. My first impression of Tombstone was that it really surprised me, in a good way. We all know that in the sixties, during the Mao era, there was a terrifying period of the Great Famine. That was a secret for a long time, which no-one revealed. But with this book, we can now read extensive evidence of it. Of course, Yang Jisheng isn’t a literary writer, he’s a historian. He lives in Beijing and spent many, many years collecting the material for Tombstone. It’s absolutely terrific, and I really admire him. [source]

58

The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China

Mark Elvin

4.1

A landmark account of China’s environmental history—by an internationally pre-eminent China specialist

This is the first environmental history of China during the three thousand years for which there are written records. It is also a treasure trove of literary, political, aesthetic, scientific, and religious sources, which allow the reader direct access to the views and feelings of the Chinese peo

Recommended by Isabel Hilton.

Isabel Hilton

Mao believed the theories of Lysenko: that man is in charge of nature; that nature is there to be exploited and that anything at all can be achieved with the right political attitude and a scientific approach. Well, they called it a ‘scientific’ approach, but actually it was very bad science indeed. Lysenko’s theories produced probably the worst famine in human history. In China, between the late 50s and early 60s, between 30 and 80 million people starved to death. [source]

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59

Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Volume I: July 1937-May 1942

Richard B. Frank

4.1

In 1937, the swath of the globe east from India to the Pacific Ocean enclosed half the world’s population, all save a fraction enduring under some form of colonialism. Japan’s onslaught into China that year unleashed a tidal wave of events that fundamentally transformed this region and killed about twenty-five million people. From just two nation states with real sovereignty, Thailand and Japan, a

60

Stilwell and the American Experience in China: 1911-1945

Barbara W. Tuchman

4.1

Barbara W. Tuchman uses the life of Joseph Stilwell, the military attache to China in 1935-39 and commander of United States forces and allied chief of staff to Chiang Kai-shek in 1942-44, to explore the history of China from the revolution of 1911 to the turmoil of World War II, when China's Nationalist government faced attack from Japanese invaders and Communist insurgents. Her story is an accou

61

1587: A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline

Ray Huang

4.1

1587, a Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline (Chinese: 萬曆十五年; pinyin: Wanli Shiwunian) is Chinese historian Ray Huang's most famous work. First published by Yale University Press in 1981,[1] it examines how a number of seemingly insignificant events in 1587 might have caused the downfall of the Ming empire. The views expressed in the book follow the macro history perspective.

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62

The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China

Jonathan Kaufman

4.1

An epic, multigenerational story of two rival dynasties who flourished in Shanghai and Hong Kong as twentieth-century China surged into the modern era, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Shanghai, 1936. The Cathay Hotel, located on the city's famous waterfront, is one of the most glamorous in the world. Built by Victor Sassoon--billionaire playboy and scion of the Sassoon dynasty--the hotel

63

Monarchs and Ministers: The Grand Council in Mid-Ch'ing China, 1723-1820

Beatrice S. Bartlett

4.1

This book describes the transformation of Ch'ing governance from monarchical rule to ministerial administration, presenting a wholly new account of the Grand Council's founding and rise to dominance. This period has been viewed as an era of intensified government centralization and increasing autocracy, but Bartlett persuasively demonstrates that this characterization must be modified in the light

64

Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China

Alec Ash

4.1

The youth are the generation that will change China. There are over 320 million in their teens and twenties, more than the population of the USA. Born after Mao, natives of a nation on the rise, they are destined to have an unprecedented influence on global affairs.

These millennials, offspring of the only child policy, face fierce competition and pressure to succeed. Dislocated from their country'

65

The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth

Barry J. Naughton

4.1

This comprehensive overview of the modern Chinese economy by a noted expert on China's economic development offers a quality and breadth of coverage not found in any other English-language text. In The Chinese Economy, Barry Naughton provides both an engaging, broadly focused introduction to China's economy since 1949 and original insights based on his own extensive research. The book will be an e

Recommended by Victor Shih.

Victor Shih

Barry’s book is a great overview of the Chinese economy and its evolution since the late 70s. Barry is a keen, seasoned and knowledgeable observer and covers a range of topics. These include the general economic growth, the agricultural and industrial economies and the reform of the SOEs. [source]

66

Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World

Graham Allison

4.1

Grand strategist and founder of modern Singapore offers key insights and controversial opinions on globalization, geopolitics, economic growth, and democracy.

When Lee Kuan Yew speaks, presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, and CEOs listen. Lee, the founding father of modern Singapore and its prime minister from 1959 to 1990, has honed his wisdom during more than fifty years on the world stage. Al

Recommended by Fareed Zakaria.

Fareed Zakaria

Packed with intelligence and insight. If you are interested in the future of Asia, which means the future of the world, you've got to read this book. [source]

67

Contemporary Chinese Art

Wu Hung

4.1

From its underground genesis during the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), contemporary Chinese art has become a dynamic and hugely influential force in a globalized art world. In this first major introduction to the topic, Wu Hung provides an accessible, focused, and much-needed narrative of the development of Chinese art across all media from the 1970s to the 2000s, a time span characterized by radi

68

The Economic History of China

Richard Von Glahn

4.1

China's extraordinary rise as an economic powerhouse in the past two decades poses a challenge to many long-held assumptions about the relationship between political institutions and economic development. Economic prosperity also was vitally important to the longevity of the Chinese Empire throughout the preindustrial era. Before the eighteenth century, China's economy shared some of the features,

69

Governing China: From Revolution to Reform

Kenneth Lieberthal

4.1

The new Second Edition includes discussions of: The consumer revolution that has brought China's major urban areas to the forefront of the developed world and created a new middle class An expanding private sector that has become the major generator of new employment in the overall economy as the state sector has shed jobs The increase in foreign direct investment which has set China on track to b

70

China Under Mao: A Revolution Derailed

Andrew G. Walder

4.1

China's Communist Party seized power in 1949 after a long period of guerrilla insurgency followed by full-scale war, but the Chinese revolution was just beginning. China Under Mao narrates the rise and fall of the Maoist revolutionary state from 1949 to 1976--an epoch of startling accomplishments and disastrous failures, steered by many forces but dominated above all by Mao Zedong.

Mao's China, And

71

China's Road to the Korean War: The Making of the Sino-American Confrontation

Jian Chen

4.1

Through the use of recently released Chinese documents, conversations with People's Republic of China scholars, and in-depth interviews with people who were present at key decision-making meetings, this book aims to discover China and the USSR's roles in the outbreak of the Korean conflict.

72

The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty

Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

4.1

'A must-read. Acemoglu and Robinson are intellectual heavyweights of the first rank . . . erudite and fascinating' Paul Collier, Guardian, on Why Nations Fail

By the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, based on decades of research, this powerful new big-picture framework explains how some countries develop towards and provide liberty while others fall to despotism, anarchy or

Cover unavailable

73

Culture Hacks: Deciphering Differences in American, Chinese, and Japanese Thinking

Richard Conrad

4.1

Richard Conrad grew up in Washington, D.C., studied engineering and economics at Vanderbilt University, earned a master's degree in Economics as a local student at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and later earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Richard worked for the last sixteen years for a large U.S. money management firm researching, analyzing, and investing in

74

The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution 1895-1980

Jonathan D. Spence

4.1

Recommended by Jeffrey Wasserstrom.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom

It’s a very powerful film [source]

75

Bully of Asia: Why China's Dream is the New Threat to World Order

Steven W. Mosher

4.0

THE ONCE AND FUTURE HEGEMON

In a world bristling with dangers, only one enemy poses a truly mortal challenge to the United States and the peaceful and prosperous world that America guarantees. That enemy is China, a country

that invented totalitarianism thousands of years ago whose economic power rivals our own that believes its superior race and culture give it the right to universal deference that

76

Macao and the British, 1637–1842: Prelude to Hong Kong

Austin Coates

4.0

The story of the British acquisition of Hong Kong is intricately related to that of the Portuguese enclave of Macao. The British acquired Hong Kong in 1841, following 200 years of European endeavours to induce China to engage in foreign trade. As a residential base of European trade, Portuguese Macao enabled the West to maintain continuous relations with China from 1557 onwards. Opening with a viv

77

Speaking of Yangzhou: A Chinese City, 1550-1850

Antonia Finnane

4.0

The early-twentieth-century essayist Zhu Ziqing once wrote that he had only to mention the name of his hometown of Yangzhou to someone in Beijing and the person would respond, A fine place! A fine place! Yangzhou was indeed one of the great cities of late imperial China, and its name carries a rich historical and cultural resonance. Even today Yangzhou continues to evoke images of artists, men of

78

A Fragile Relationship: The United States and China since 1972

Harry Harding

4.0

President Nixon's historic trip to China in February 1972 marked the beginning of a new era in Sino-American relations. For the first time since 1949, the two countries established high-level official contacts and transformed their relationship from confrontation to collaboration. Over the subsequent twenty years, however, U.S.-China relations have experienced repeated cycles of progress, stalemat

79

The Rising Sun: The Decline & Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-45

John Toland

4.0

This Pulitzer Prize–winning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria and China to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from the Japanese perspective, The Rising Sun is, in the author’s words, “a factual saga of people caught up in the flood of the most overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happened—muddled,

80

Asia's Reckoning: China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century

Richard Mcgregor

4.0

"Often critical of Washington's 'combination of idealism and arrogance, ' McGregor offers detailed, vivid descriptions of America's Asian diplomacy." --Publishers Weekly

A history of the combative military, diplomatic, and economic relations among China, Japan, and the United States since the 1970s--and the potential crisis that awaits them

Richard McGregor's Asia's Reckoning is a compelling accoun

81

Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty

Qian Sima, Burton Watson

4.0

Sima Qian (145?-90? BCE) was the first major Chinese historian. His "Shiji," or "Records of the Grand Historian," documents the history of China and its neighboring countries from the ancient past to his own time. These three volumes cover the Qin and Han dynasties.

82

The Heart Of A Continent: A Narrative Of Travels In Manchuria, Across The Gobi Desert, Through The Himalayas, The Pamirs, And Chitral, 1884 1894

Francis E. Younghusband

4.0

83

The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome

Susan Wise Bauer

4.0

This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country.

Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history.

Dozens of ma

84

The China Mission: George Marshall's Unfinished War, 1945-1947

Daniel Kurtz-Phelan

4.0

At the end of World War II, General George Marshall took on what he thought was a final mission—this time not to win a war, but to stop one. In China, conflict between Communists and Nationalists threatened to suck in the United States and escalate into revolution. Marshall’s charge was to cross the Pacific, broker a peace, and prevent a Communist takeover, all while staving off World War III. At

85

For the Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell, Hero of Chariots of Fire

Duncan Hamilton

4.0

The untold and inspiring story of Eric Liddell, hero of Chariots of Fire, from his Olympic medal to his missionary work in China to his last, brave years in a Japanese work camp during WWII

Many people will remember Eric Liddell as the Olympic gold medalist from the Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire. Famously, Liddell would not run on Sunday because of his strict observance of the Christi

86

The Rise of Modern China

Immanuel C. Y. Hsu

4.0

Now in its sixth edition, this book has been updated to examine the return of Hong Kong in 1997 and the upcoming return of Macao in 1999. Hsu discusses the end of the last vestiges of foreign imperialism in China, as well as China's emergence as a regional and global superpower. U.S.-China rivalry and the prospect of unification between China and Taiwan are also considered.

87

Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China

Jung Chang

4.0

They were the most famous sisters in China. As the country battled through a hundred years of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations, the three Soong sisters from Shanghai were at the center of power, and each of them left an indelible mark on history.

Red Sister, Ching-ling, married the 'Father of China', Sun Yat-sen, and rose to be Mao's vice-chair.
Little Sister, May-ling, became Madame Ch

88

The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, I: Contradictions Among the People, 1956-1957

Roderick MacFarquhar

4.0

Why did Mao Zedong launch the cultural revolution that almost destroyed all that he had worked so long and so hard to create? In his highly praised study-now a classic-Roderick MacFarquhar seeks to answer that question by examining the politics, economics, culture, and international relations of China from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s.

89

Protest with Chinese Characteristics: Demonstrations, Riots, and Petitions in the Mid-Qing Dynasty

Ho-fung Hung

4.0

The origin of political modernity has long been tied to the Western history of protest and revolution, the currents of which many believe sparked popular dissent worldwide. Reviewing nearly one thousand instances of protest in China from the eighteenth to the early-nineteenth centuries, Ho-fung Hung charts an evolution of Chinese dissent that stands apart from Western trends.

Hung samples from mid-

90

The Fall of Imperial China

Frederic Wakeman Jr.

4.0

91

Explore China: A Mulan Discovery Book

Charlotte Cheng

4.0

Welcome to ancient China! Join Mulan, her family, and friends as you explore the history and culture of this great civilization. How long is the Great Wall of China? What amazing contributions did the Chinese people make in science, technology, and the arts? What traditions are still practiced in China today? Embark on a journey of discovery with your friends from Mulan, and learn about China's dy

Cover unavailable

92

The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-Shek and the Struggle for Modern China

Jay Taylor

4.0

One of the most momentous stories of the last century is China's rise from a self-satisfied, anti-modern, decaying society into a global power that promises to one day rival the United States. Chiang Kai-shek, an autocratic, larger-than-life figure, dominates this story. A modernist as well as a neo-Confucianist, Chiang was a man of war who led the most ancient and populous country in the world th

93

Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels

Claire Chao and Isabel Sun Chao

4.0

WINNER - 2019 Rubery Book Award BOOK OF THE YEAR and over 20 other literary awards ... An Engaging and Extraordinary Multigenerational Saga

A high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s and '40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father and fashionable mother shelter her from ci

94

The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China

Jane O'Connor

4.0

Describes the archaeological discovery of thousands of life-sized terracotta warrior statues in northern China in 1974, and discusses the emperor who had them created and placed near his tomb.

95

Mao's Great Famine: The History Of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-62

Frank Dikötter

4.0

Between 1958 and 1962, China descended into hell. Mao Zedong threw his country into a frenzy with the Great Leap Forward, an attempt to catch up and overtake Britain in less than 15 years. The experiment ended in the greatest catastrophe the country had ever known, destroying tens of millions of lives. Access to Communist Party archives has long been denied to all but the most loyal historians, bu

Recommended by Joshua M. Brown.

Joshua M. Brown

It’s book 3 on my summer reading list and the revelations are eye-popping. Dikotter was among the first to gain access to formerly hidden government reports from the era. https://t.co/XdQtenV7vl https://t.co/zZ45fUeSiO [source]

96

CIA's Secret War in Tibet

Kenneth Conboy, James Morrison

4.0

Defiance against Chinese oppression has been a defining characteristic of Tibetan life for more than four decades, symbolized most visibly by the much revered Dalai Lama. But the story of Tibetan resistance weaves a far richer tapestry than anyone might have imagined.

Kenneth Conboy and James Morrison reveal how America's Central Intelligence Agency encouraged Tibet's revolt against China--and even

97

Destination Shanghai

Paul French

4.0

98

The Wars for Asia, 1911-1949

S. C. M. Paine

4.0

The Wars for Asia, 1911-1949 shows that the Western treatment of World War II, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the Chinese Civil War as separate events misrepresents their overlapping connections and causes. The long Chinese Civil War precipitated a long regional war between China and Japan that went global in 1941 when the Chinese found themselves fighting a civil war within a regional war with

99

The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade

Susan Wise Bauer

4.0

A masterful narrative of the Middle Ages, when religion became a weapon for kings all over the world.

From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T’ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.

In her earlier work, The History of the Ancient W

100

History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth

Paul A. Cohen

4.0

A comprehensive look at the Boxer Rebellion of 1898-1900, a bloody uprising in north China against native Christians and foreign missionaries.