A Concise History of China (Paperback)

by J. A. G. Roberts (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This compact and accessible book successfully condenses four millennia of Chinese history into 300 pages. J.A.G. Roberts of Huddersfield University leads the reader through the chronological framework, adding sufficient detail and anecdote to provide color and texture. His writing is clear and punchy: every sentence counts. The index is thoughtful, the book's 10 maps helpful. Though the emphasis is on political history, economic and social developments are also described; for example, the introduction of a strain of rice from central Vietnam that allowed a significant expansion in population under the Song. The first half of the book takes the story to the beginning of the 19th century; the second half analyzes the modern period in more detail (this is probably a useful division for most readers, though a Chinese historian would have laid more equal emphasis on each dynastic period). The author has incorporated the latest scholarship, such as changing views on the status of women during the Song--their freedoms were not as restricted as was once thought. He uses newly translated Manchu sources to show that Qing successes owed as much to the dynasty's non-Han characteristics as to sinicization--a reversal of conventional wisdom--and approaches the dynamics of China's response to the West from a more Chinese viewpoint than is usual. A Concise History of China is an up-to-date and extremely useful introduction to a highly complex subject. --John Stevenson

From Publishers Weekly
Capturing the full sweep of China's tormented history, this succinct yet highly informative chronicle skillfully incorporates the latest research, whether the topic is China's vast, cosmopolitan eighth-century cities of the Tang empire, the widespread practice of female infanticide during the Ming period (especially the 15th century), China's failure to industrialize in the 18th century, or the rivalry between Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping following the disaster of the Great Leap Forward, when Mao found himself increasingly excluded from power. In the ancient battle of Confucianists, who called for ethical, benevolent rule, versus Legalists, who put the state's interests first, the lineaments of the power struggles that have convulsed modern China become visible. Along the way, British historian Roberts, the author of four other books on China, continually challenges received opinions and conventional interpretations. He rejects, for instance, the traditional verdict that Mongol rule over China was an unmitigated catastrophe; the Mongols were in some ways more humane and less ideologically restrictive than their Song dynasty predecessors, he opines. While much of the narrative centers on rebellions, politics and the rise and fall of dynasties and empires, Roberts keeps up the momentum with shrewd assessments of personalities and events, colorful incidents and interludes covering artistic as well as religious and intellectual developments. He provides a handy compass for understanding China's headlong economic modernization, its crushing of the democracy movement and the current deadlock between reformers and conservatives. Maps.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (December 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674000757
• ISBN-13: 978-0674000759
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #311,832 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chinese Learn, December 14, 1999

By	Paul McSherry "Kodiak Jack" (Dublin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is certainly one of the best and, obviously, concise pieces of work which attempts to convey the long history of a massive country. Roberts style is friendly and quite readable and will definitely point out areas of Chinese history in which you will want to delve more deeply. It works as a great starter point for all those who wish to learn more about or know nothing about Chinese history. Bear in mind that it is only an abridged version of a complex subject, and it may leave you wanting more information. An enjoyable informative read.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Introduction for the 21st century, March 17, 2001

By	"miguknamja4" (Busan, ROK) - See all my reviews

J.A.G. Roberts' A Concise History of China is an introduction to China for a China ready to join the World Trade Organization. China is not an enigna or special case, but a microcosm of the world as a whole. Roberts' contribution is, that he undermines the notion of a unified Chinese culture or region.

Roberts most memorable chapters recount the disparate states which rose and fell, some contemporaneously, and the foreign influences always ar work on them. China is revealed as a continent of many nations, not as a monolithic and eternal concept.

Roberts' book is also well balanced, and his chapters, instead of following dynastic changes, roughly divide Chinese history into equal time periods. His polemical acumen is considerable, and his chapters are full pf debates between Western and modern Chinese historians. If there is one period where his skills are lacking, it is the immediate past, and the last pages are disappointing.

This is a relevant introduction to Chinese history, that places China historically in the world, and within its own worlds.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent introduction to chinese history, July 18, 2001

By	Jason W. Atwell "Business instructor" (Marion, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"A Concise History of China" has a great approach to summarizing the past 3000 years of chinese history with appropriate comparisons to other nations such as Great Britain, France, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, Portugal, Germany, Italy, and the United States. The book is filled with facts, and is complimented by Ebrey's "Cambridge Illustrated History of China" which discusses individual topics in less detail, but gives a better picture in its entirety.