What Life Was Like in the Land of the Dragon: Imperial China AD 960-1368

[keilexandra]

What Life Was Like in the Land of the Dragon: Imperial China, A.D. 960-1368
by Time-Life Books (Denise Dersin, ed.)
144 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Nonfiction/Historical/China

This covers Song (including the Southern Song) to Tang dynasty, with emphasis on the Song and Mongol (Yuan) rules. A surprisingly helpful source of information on imperial China, especially regarding topics like culture and technology. I've used it well as a jumping-off point, although it is sometimes heavy on generalizations, being aimed at a mainstream rather than scholarly audience. Upper-class is covered in more detail than lower-class; unfortunate but only to be expected. As a plus, it is also excellently illustrated--lots of photographs of Song pottery and Tang painting. The ending is abrupt, lacking any type of conclusion; a full-page painting spread, and then nothing. Still, a good resource and one I would recommend if you happen to be also researching imperial China. I plan on seeking out the other books in the What Life Was Like series as well, for pleasure-reading.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

For an engrossing look at Chinese history, particularly through the early half of the 20th century, take a look at Return to Middle Kingdom (http://www.yuantsungchen.com) by Yuan-tsung Chen. It's really a remarkable story of adventure, political intrigue and family life, through a 150-year span of China. It's a fascinating read.

[keilexandra]

Thank you for the rec, anonymouse; I was looking more for nonfiction, though.