This Is China contains, in brief, everything we need to know about 5,000 years of history, 30 years of “opening,” and a future that promises to shape the 21st century for all of us. Drawn from the vast resources of the Berkshire Encyclopedia of China, this concise 152-page book is recommended for classroom use, curriculum development, and student review:

Discounts for multiple copies, non-returnable:

Whether you are a student or a businessperson, an educator or just someone who follows news and wants to be in the know about the world’s largest economy and the biggest threat to U.S. dominance in areas as diverse as technology and sports, This Is China will get you up to speed.

China is not inscrutable but it is different, with its own rich history and long-established values and customs. We named this book after repeatedly hearing the phrase, “Well, this is China” and “But this is China” when we began traveling there. It does take a special effort—and the right teachers—to get to a point of understanding and familiarity. This Is China covers all the bases, with sections on every aspect of China selected from Berkshire’s Encyclopedia of China and other expert sources, and checked by experts inside and outside China.

Supplemental Resource: Mapping Out China: Some Numbers and Statistics

“This Is China: The First 5,000 Years provides a superb historically based foundation for the beginning language student to understand the importance of those “first 5,000 years” in shaping the modern language. The inclusion of the Chinese characters and pinyin for each of the section headings is an added bonus.” —Scott McGinnis, academic advisor and professor, Defense Language Institute, Washington Office

“This little book should quickly become the first port of call for teachers seeking information on the vast range of topics and issues that arise while teaching a language and culture more than 5,000 years in existence. It is a reference book which fills the gap constantly experienced by teachers of Chinese between too much information on some topics and nothing at all on many others.” —Jane Orton, director, Australian Chinese Teacher Training Centre, University of Melbourne

"This Is China: The First 5,000 Years is a useful addition to many AP World History classrooms. The book effectively introduces five thousand years of history in only 192 pages. The abridged narrative smartly creates a detailed overview of China that teachers can use as a supplement or as a summer reading topic. The book provides material to build both a basic and thorough understanding of Chinese history, and it certainly can be used in high school world history classes of any level as well as the college classroom. In the AP classroom, This Is China: The First 5,000 Years becomes a centerpiece for historical understanding." --Education About Asia

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Background—The Land and the People
Physical Geography
Human Geography

Chapter Two: From Prehistory to the End of the Empire
Xia dynasty: Real or Legendary? (2100–1766 BCE)
Shang dynasty: Ancestor Worship and Oracle Bones (1766–1045 BCE)
Zhou dynasty: Bronze, Jade and Confucius (1045–256 BCE)
Qin dynasty: Terracotta Soldiers
Han dynasty: Paper, Porcelain, and the Silk Roads
Southern and Northern Dynasties
Sui dynasty: China United
Tang dynasty: Poetry and Literature
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
Song Dynasty: Northern Song (960‒1126); Southern Song (1127‒1279)
Jurchen Jin Dynasty
Yuan dynasty: Mongol Rule
Ming dynasty: Building the Great Wall
Qing dynasty: Manchu Rule

Chapter Three: A Century of Change: From 1912 to Today
China as a Republic
The War with Japan and the Chinese Civil War
Communists in Power: The Early Years 1949–1966
The Cultural Revolution
China after Mao (1976–present)

Chapter Four: China Today
The Pace of Change
Consumerism and the Disparity of Wealth
Concepts: Uniquely Chinese
Challenges

This Is China contains, in brief, everything we need to know about 5,000 years of history, 30 years of “opening,” and a future that promises to shape the 21st century for all of us. Drawn from the vast resources of the Berkshire Encyclopedia of China, this concise 120-page book is recommended for classroom use, curriculum development, and student review.

"It is hard to imagine that such a short book can cover such a vast span of time and space. This Is China: The First 5,000 Years will help teachers, students, and general readers alike, as they seek for a preliminary guide to the contexts and complexities of Chinese culture."
-Jonathan Spence, professor of history, Yale University; author of The Search for Modern China