Ancient Chinese Dynasties (World History Series) [Hardcover]

Eleanor J. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | Series: World History Series

Discusses the history, culture, material artifacts, and society of six ancient Chinese dynasties from about 2000 B.C. to 221 A.D.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-In clear and understandable language, Hall dispels myths and carefully sorts reality from fiction concerning the earliest of the myriad Chinese dynasties. An introductory time line, beginning with 2000 B.C. and progressing to A.D. 618, serves as a valuable reference point in support of the succeeding chapters. The text delves into various aspects of everyday life during the specific eras, as well as that of culture and customs. In the chapter on the Shang Dynasty, the narrative reveals that "life was cheap-" including the fact of human sacrifices that were commonly made. Yet, in the midst of such brutality, students will find that beautiful artwork was created, and that the form of writing still in use today was developed during this period. Black-and-white photos and reproductions appear throughout. Suggested further reading is appended and includes two supporting videos. An informative starting point for reports.-Alida F. Given, Fairhope Intermediate School, AL

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Greenhaven Press (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560066245
• ISBN-13: 978-1560066248
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #733,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of ancient China, March 25, 2007

By 

D. Goodpasture (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ancient Chinese Dynasties (World History Series) (Hardcover)

I read three or four similar ones, but they just weren't as comprehensive as this one. For such a short book it packs a lot of information. I would recommend this one to adults who want a good overview as opposed to a tome. It has lots of photos, but they are all black and white.

I have just a few complaints and suggestions. The author uses the pinyin and Wade-Giles romanizations interchangeably, without explanation, and it was a bit confusing. I can imagine it would be even more confusing to someone unfamiliar with Chinese. Chinese put the surname first, but in some instances they are reversed in this book. I would suggest that when dealing with a non-romanized language authors include the names in the original script. The author gives a timeline of the dynasties. I think it would have been more helpful if it had been juxtaposed with a timeline Westerners could relate to such as Biblical prophets and Roman emperors. There was one instance where the author describes and artifact, but doesn't provide a photo, which would have been helpful. Still, I think it's a terrific book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful, May 27, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Ancient Chinese Dynasties (World History Series) (Hardcover)

For a school research project I researched on the ancient beginnings of China. This book helped me tremendously in writing it. I found great information on the ancient dynasties in China and a lot of information I could not find any where else. If you are doing any type of reasearch project or essay on the dynasties of China I would select this book for you right off the bat.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not helpful at all, January 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Ancient Chinese Dynasties (World History Series) (Hardcover)

i used this for a school history project, and i had many questions in mind that i wanted to answer by reading this book. None of them were answered. Either my questions were to complicated, or this book was very unhelpful. (most probable is the second one)