China History

Discover how China emerged from centuries of isolation and transcended famine and civil war to became one of the most powerful nations in the world.

This volume outlines the origins of a wide range of disciplines including astronomy, agricultural science, medicine, physics, chemistry, and natural history. It provides an overview of China’s history of science and technology, which can be traced back to the pre-Qin times when the arts had free expression and the schools of thought were unrestricted. It also includes a glossary and comparison of the chronicle of events in China and the West for reference. This is the first volume in the series History of Science and Technology in China.

Just over a thousand years ago, the Song dynasty emerged as the most advanced civilization on earth. Within two centuries, China was home to nearly half of all humankind. In this concise history, we learn why the inventiveness of this era has been favorably compared with the European Renaissance, which in many ways the Song transformation surpassed.

This book is a little gem from an era long past which has huge value both as a window into that era and for the quality of the verses and accompanying illustrations. They illustrate in a unique way China and Shanghai in the late 1940s, and the mindset of the Americans who were here to help with the transition from Japanese occupation back towards normalcy.