Customer Reviews

China's First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you want to learn about Chinese history here is a short easy way to start. You won't learn much about the Terra Cotta Warriors as promised in the subtitle, but the essentials about the First Emperor are here.

There is an overview of his rise to power, his achievements and the modern interpretations of his legacy. Issues, such as Confucianism vs. Daoism, wall building and did he or didn't he burn books are discussed.

There are lots of illustrations. They are placed alongside of the material they illuminate.

The last chapter about how the symbolism of the First Emperor figures in more recent Chinese politics is interesting, but doesn't quite fit. It seems as though it was an essay used for some other purpose edited to fit this one.

This small book is on the subject of China's first emperor - Qin Shi Huangdi (259 BC-210 BC). Not a great deal is truly known about the First Emperor, so the author goes through each subject, examining what is "known" about him, placing it in context to give the reader the most accurate portrait of the man possible.

Overall, I must say that I found this to be quite a good book. I thought that the author did a great job of presenting the First Emperor as a real man, and more importantly a real Chinese person. Also, I thought that the comparison of the First Emperor and Mao Zedong to be very thought provoking and enlightening.

Admittedly, it is unfortunate that it was decided to title the book the way it is, suggesting that the terracotta warriors are covered in-depth in this book. In fact, the warriors, though discussed are only covered in the section on the Emperor's burial - they are not a major subject within the book.

So, if you are looking for an in-depth book on the terracotta army of Qin Shi Huangdi, then I would not recommend that you buy this book. If, however, you are interested in the First Emperor, then I certainly would recommend this book as a good, short, no-nonsense look at the man. I enjoyed this book, and don't hesitate to recommend it.

This book was written by a person very familiar with Chinese lore. It was very interesting and gave me a lot of information about the whys and wherefores of the Terracotta Army.

Yes, this is about China's First Emperor and very interesting. But, only mentions the Terracotta Warriors in passing. I was looking for lots more info on the warriors.

This book a dissappointing. It is sourced off of a limited number of texts. It does not talk much about the terracotta army at all. Being a "history" book it was disconcerting when a novel were quoted as a source of facts. The regurgitation of the same facts across the book in different contexts also came across as lazy on the author's part. The only positive thing I can say is that it's an easy and short read. But you're really interested in China history this may not be the book for you.