A Brief History of China: Dynasty, Revolution and Transformation: From the Middle Kingdom to the People's Republic (Brief History Of Asia Series)

I'm not a fan of history (in general), it's all dry facts and dates... but not this book. It's insightful prose is so engaging I found I couldn't put it down until I'd finished reading it. Everything you actually need to know, without having to become a BA (hons) Historian to understand it. Another cracking good read from Mr Clements.

Fascinating. Content is certainly a brief overview rather than a detailed history (it is squeezing 5000+ years into 300ish pages, after all) but if that's what you're looking for, then it's a very interesting read.Honestly, I found the author's writing style to be a bit confusing at times - jumps around a bit so sometimes you're not sure which "he" or "she" they are currently referring to... Minor quibble, though.Editing a bit disappointing for me. Fair few spelling errors etc. Not appalling but more than I'm used to seeing - a couple every chapter for sure. Not a deal-breaker, but it doesn't exactly inspire confidence, especially in a non-fiction book.Overall, if you're looking for a broad overview of Chinese history then this should do the job very capably. Not perfect but worth the purchase IMO.

Very informative. All the basic information for the amature historian.

An engaging and interesting read covering numerous and varied aspects of Chinese history. I did feel a bit ambushed towards the end when the author brought up climate change. Periodically throughout the book there are references to climatological/environmental shifts that shaped Chinese society. So, it wasn’t a total surprise. But it seemed odd to frame historical changes as, what I took to be, usually natural shifts whereas modern climate change is framed as primarily if not solely man made.

Il couvert l'histoire de Chine, claire, détaillé. On peut voir que l'auteur a une connaissance large sur Chine et c'est intéressant à lire.

Ausgesprochen spannend und kurzweilig geschriebene Überblick über die für uns Westler sonst so unübersichtliche chinesische Geschichte.

A very good overview and introduction of Chinese history. A page tuner.Really loved that book. I only wish they would have included Hanzi next to each Chinese names.

Would not recommend for someone who wants a sincere account of Chinese history