A crucial cog in the new world order, China cannot be understood without its social, intellectual, and political history. A life's work, the result of fifty years of research, and an unsurpassed reference, John Fairbank's book unfolds the long narrative of the "Middle Kingdom" from Paleolithic cultures to the present day. Examining the origins of a 4,000-year-old civilization, the author provides the keys to understanding a culture that remains shrouded in myth and fantasy.
A crucial cog in the new world order, China cannot be understood without its social, intellectual, and political history. A life's work, the result of fifty years of research, and an unsurpassed reference, John Fairbank's book unfolds the long narrative of the "Middle Kingdom" from Paleolithic cultures to the present day. Examining the origins of a 4,000-year-old civilization, the author provides the keys to understanding a culture still romanticized, for better or for worse, by Westerners. It took Fairbank's broad perspective and masterful storytelling to illuminate the long-term trends and contemporary realities that will shape the future of China and the rest of the world.
