China
Subtitle: a history in objects
By: Jessica Harrison-Hall
Contributors: British Museum
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 351
ISBN-13: 9780500519707
Subjects: Material culture; Antiquities; Pictorial works; History
Description: This illustrated introduction to the history of China offers a fresh understanding of China's progress from the Neolithic age to the present. Told in six chapters arranged chronologically, through art, artifacts, people, and places, and richly illustrated with expertly selected objects and artworks, it firmly connects today's China with its internationally engaged past. From the earliest archaeological relics and rituals, through the development of writing and state, to the advent of empire, the author charts China's transformation from ancient civilization into the world's most populous nation and influential economy, offering historical insights and cultural treasures along the way. This accessible book presents an eclectic mix of materials including Chinese theater, the decorative arts, costume, jewelry, and furniture-making, running through to the most recent diffusion of Chinese culture.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 342-345) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction -- 1; title: Early China -- -- 2; title: Empires -- -- 3; title: Emperors, scholars and merchants -- -- 4; title: Mongols and Ming -- -- 5; title: Qing: the last dynasty -- -- 6; title: Modern China.