Customer Reviews

The Dynasties of China: A History

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Early on in the introduction to this book, author and ex-gameshow host Bamber Gascoigne quizzes the reader on their knowledge of Chinese history with questions in the vein of `which came first between Song and Tang' and `name a Chinese emperor besides Kublai Khan.' If you happen to be privy to this information, chances are you won't find anything earth-shattering or even particularly new here, but if, falling in with one of Gascoigne's running themes, you've heard of Ming vases and Tang poetry and are curious about some of the stories behind the "inscrutable monosyllables" that describe them, The Dynasties of China: A History is an extremely well-written, accessible, and consciously Eurocentric yet relatively harmless place to start.

The book is divided into 8 chapters, each devoted to a big name Chinese dynasty. There were of course many more, but Gascoigne's focus, and his greatest strength here, is building up on what the `lay reader' is most likely to be familiar with going into the text. Parallels and references to the `western tradition' abound, but they are deftly handled, steering clear of reductionism and exotification. That said, the book is at its best in the earlier chapters covering the legends of high antiquity through to the fall of the Han, a vast stretch of time including some of the least well-known eras in Chinese history. After that we immediately skip ahead some four centuries to the Tang dynasty (fans of the Three Kingdoms period will need to look elsewhere), which is given a bizarre treatment as the entire chapter is almost exclusively handed over to a description of the relationship between Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen, who were, admittedly, accomplished poets and occasional minor statesmen. While it's normal for general history books like this to elaborate on certain stories to put the focus on underlying trends and major social developments instead of on names and dates, it's still pretty rare to see an intro to the Tang where the Empress Wu Zetian basically only shows up in a clarification of the naming system (in case you're asking why there are so many Wu's) and a towering figure like the Taizong Emperor Li Shimin isn't mentioned at all. It could be noted that Gascoigne's elevation of Bai Juyi to something of a backbone supporting Chinese civilization throughout the ages is a rather novel approach, as well as a pretty good hint that we're getting more of a tour of heavyweight traditional scholars like de Bary, Watson and Waley (lots and lots of Waley) than of "primary," or even "Chinese" sources.

This contentment with relying on `western observers' becomes much more evident in the later chapters, where we're presented with the Mongol Empire essentially as recorded by Marco Polo, the Ming through Matteo Ricci's eyes, and the late 17th through the 18th century, which saw the Qing Empire take Chinese Civilization to its arguably greatest heights, is given the customary polite nod of acknowledgement before Gascoigne launches into the inevitable and sufficiently apologetic and `self-critical' retelling of the opium wars and the destructive role of imperialism in the construction of Modern China, dotted with quips from the period's (usually British) participants. This actually works well enough here, as, again, the point of this book isn't to provide a comprehensive historical account of the area, but to flesh out the background that most readers of English already have of Chinese history. Gascoigne excels at this and keeps the information as clear and familiar as possible. The details are necessarily anecdotal at best, and while we zip through some controversies, historical exceptions and peculiarities without so much as a second glance, all the major `macro' themes are there and the reader should finish this book with a painlessly acquired grasp of the bigger picture that will hopefully lead to further, and better informed, reading.

It's already a well worn cliché to highlight the challenge of condensing X thousand years of imperial Chinese history into Y hundred pages, and this is hardly the most exhaustive attempt out there. It is, though, an engaging and relatively quick read (contrary to what it says above, the book has a total of 228 pages including the index and short bibliography), and is definitely recommendable to anyone with even a passing interest in the area, for getting your bearings during an introductory course, or as a rewarding way to spend a lengthy first or second flight to China.

The Dynasties Of China: A History By British author Bamber Gascoigne is an informed and informative history of the eight major dynasties of ancient China that span 3,500 years of Chinese civilization. The focuses is upon crucial characters of Chinese history, from antiquity up to the 1912 revolution that spelled the end of an Empire. Concise and fact-filled, specially written so as to be easily accessible to the lay reader, The Dynasties Of China: A History is an absorbing tour through the centuries and a highly recommended addition to school and community library World History collections.

If you are trying to find a starting place in the history of China, then this is a good book for you. It is very shallow in the sense that it is only a sketch, but that is all you could reasonably ask of a small book like this that covers such a long period in history.

There are many books that cover any of the subjects treated here in great depth, but what this book offers the beginner is a firm rock to build on.

I wanted a book that would both help me gain basic insight in Chinese history and entertain me on my daily commute, and Gascoigne's Dynasties of China have more than fulfilled my expectations. It is thoughtfully written, highly readable and full of interesting facts. The book creates a coherent image of the Chinese civilization and explains well all topics it touches.

I also highly appreciete all the citations (mostly from primary sources), index (which contains both pinyin and the "traditional" transcription of Chinese names) and, a short timetable and a map. These will make the book even more valuable for future reference. Color photos are a nice bonus.

I'm a bit careful about writing overly positive reviews, but this may very well be the best book on history I have read.

I just liked this book because I wanted to read a good brief history of China and I think this book manage to do that. It is a well written book to introduce yourself to this ancient culture.

I was traveling to China and was going to visit museums, etc. Knowing the dynasties is like the ABCs for Chinese history. The book is a great intro, so that one see "Tang dynasty" on a piece of pottery, and you have a good idea of when that was and what the relevant facts about it were. The book is well written. Not boring. Perfect for what it is.

I read this on the plane to China - my fourth trip there (five if you count Taiwan). It was a fairly easy read, organized, and covered what are considered the major dynasties. I may read it again someday.

If you don't know anything about China.....get this book and start here.
The book is chronological and concise. If you want a detailed history...you'll need to read a much bigger book. At 200+ pages, this is easy reading and gets to the point..summarizes the history of china's major dynasties.

it's too general to me. but for rookies want to get start to know some Chinese history, it's ok to start from her.