Why read The Shortest History of China?

Book cover of The Shortest History of China

Book description

Journey across epic China―through millennia of early innovation to modern dominance. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

As we enter the “Asian century,” China demands our attention for being an economic powerhouse, a beacon of rapid modernization, and an assertive geopolitical…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Shortest History of China as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Debra Liu

Author

How does someone capture such a complex and ancient civilization in such a short book? Linda Jaivin makes it seem easy!

Her book traverses millennia, yet manages to highlight all of the key elements, events, and important characters in an entertaining style. As Jaivin is a prolific writer of all things China, in both fiction and non-fiction, I trusted her to get to the heart of the country in her minimalized, yet very thorough account.

I was particularly thrilled to see Jaivin highlight women in Chinese history, as she travelled through time to find the key markers of this ancient…

From Debra's list on The best books for finding the soul of China through travel and Tao.