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sammythearm's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
It’s a bit of a slog. But covers so much. A mix of really high level and much more detailed accounts.
_bookmoth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
4.0
A splendid read for anyone who wants to know more about China and its history. The subtitle ("A portrait of a civilisation and its people") is exactly what it is. It is not mainly an enumeration of historical events, but Wood also focuses on a farmer or a poet to explore their lives in the different eras. This makes this book highly readable and interesting.
It also knows to a balance in celebrating China in its rich history and achievements (often comparing with Western nations in the same time period, making it easier to understand where we are in history), it also criticizes its rulers new and old. Tiananmen Square 1989 is discussed, Mao's mistakes are mentioned and even Xi Jinping is not without fault in the book. Wood raises concern about the surveillance society but remains hopeful. You can see his love for this nation and its people.
It does, however, have some gaps. The Great Wall is barely mentioned. I think only 5 sentences over 2 chapters mention it. The one child policy and it current issue of possible population collapse is not explored, and the Chines calendar is not present.
Yet, all in all a great book to start with if you want to explore China.
It also knows to a balance in celebrating China in its rich history and achievements (often comparing with Western nations in the same time period, making it easier to understand where we are in history), it also criticizes its rulers new and old. Tiananmen Square 1989 is discussed, Mao's mistakes are mentioned and even Xi Jinping is not without fault in the book. Wood raises concern about the surveillance society but remains hopeful. You can see his love for this nation and its people.
It does, however, have some gaps. The Great Wall is barely mentioned. I think only 5 sentences over 2 chapters mention it. The one child policy and it current issue of possible population collapse is not explored, and the Chines calendar is not present.
Yet, all in all a great book to start with if you want to explore China.
mousie's review
Don't love the writing style; author is self-admitted not a historian and it shows in how he writes. Not necessarily badly written, but much more theatrical than history books generally are. Will probably come back to this someday, but not a book I feel like carrying on the train with me to read right now
sherwoodreads's review
Four thousand years of history fitted into a single volume means there is going to be a great deal of summary, especially when the subject is China, which was developing written history when my own European ancestors were still running around in the woods.
So the question becomes, where to summarize and what details to include to illustrate one’s point? It’s for the expert to evaluate Wood’s choices in a judgment call. All I—a learner—can confidently say is that I got very involved in this book. I enjoyed great parts of it, specifically the details Wood chose from very recent archaeological finds that are shedding new light on China’s ancient past. Such as letters from homesick soldiers in the Qin Army and Han garrisons on Silk Road watchtowers, some written on sticks, others on silk, by monks, mid-range and low ranking officials, women, slaves.
Each dynasty has its illustrative detail, the highlights of its rule, and how it failed. There is plenty of attention paid to China’s geography, specifically the rivers, and how life rose and changed around these rivers—including the utter devastation when the rivers flooded or altered course.
Confucius is summarized, Mencius barely gets mentioned, but their legacy is worked through the summaries of the evolution of imperial government. I really appreciated the attention paid to the poets, both male and female, and the marvelous descriptions of ancient cities, such as Chang’An. There is also superlative focus on specific works of art that convey an idea of its time as well as its timeless beauty.
The astounding ructions of Chinese history in the twentieth century rightly would take up volumes, but Wood navigates his way by use of diaries, journals, and in more modern times, witness accounts. He includes everyone—grand families with long pedigrees going back centuries, even millennia, farmers, protestors.
I think my favorite bit was the vivid depiction of Song-era Kaifeng, and the description of the amazing scroll-painting “Festival on the River”—which is a highly detailed trip all through the city, from river bank to urban center and out. I would LOVE to see that in person—it’s as close to a time machine glimpse of the past as we can get.
Altogether an absorbing read, enjoyable in many places, heart-breaking in others: when China turned on itself in its wars, millions died, rivaling the profoundly disastrous effects of drought, quake, famine, flooding, and plague. Yet through it all the Chinese rose again and rebuilt, hearkening to their past, their thinking shaped by the enlightened views of ancient sages.
Copy provided by NetGalley
So the question becomes, where to summarize and what details to include to illustrate one’s point? It’s for the expert to evaluate Wood’s choices in a judgment call. All I—a learner—can confidently say is that I got very involved in this book. I enjoyed great parts of it, specifically the details Wood chose from very recent archaeological finds that are shedding new light on China’s ancient past. Such as letters from homesick soldiers in the Qin Army and Han garrisons on Silk Road watchtowers, some written on sticks, others on silk, by monks, mid-range and low ranking officials, women, slaves.
Each dynasty has its illustrative detail, the highlights of its rule, and how it failed. There is plenty of attention paid to China’s geography, specifically the rivers, and how life rose and changed around these rivers—including the utter devastation when the rivers flooded or altered course.
Confucius is summarized, Mencius barely gets mentioned, but their legacy is worked through the summaries of the evolution of imperial government. I really appreciated the attention paid to the poets, both male and female, and the marvelous descriptions of ancient cities, such as Chang’An. There is also superlative focus on specific works of art that convey an idea of its time as well as its timeless beauty.
The astounding ructions of Chinese history in the twentieth century rightly would take up volumes, but Wood navigates his way by use of diaries, journals, and in more modern times, witness accounts. He includes everyone—grand families with long pedigrees going back centuries, even millennia, farmers, protestors.
I think my favorite bit was the vivid depiction of Song-era Kaifeng, and the description of the amazing scroll-painting “Festival on the River”—which is a highly detailed trip all through the city, from river bank to urban center and out. I would LOVE to see that in person—it’s as close to a time machine glimpse of the past as we can get.
Altogether an absorbing read, enjoyable in many places, heart-breaking in others: when China turned on itself in its wars, millions died, rivaling the profoundly disastrous effects of drought, quake, famine, flooding, and plague. Yet through it all the Chinese rose again and rebuilt, hearkening to their past, their thinking shaped by the enlightened views of ancient sages.
Copy provided by NetGalley
sydsnot71's review
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this. I wish I'd read something like it a while ago. The gaps in my knowledge re. Chinese history and culture are enormous and this is an excellent first step for filling in some of these gaps.
Obviously by the nature of the breadth of time Michael Wood is aiming to cover it can't be hugely detailed on each era, but it gives you a good sweep of the key events, people, places, and literature. It's a book that points you in the direction of other books. Both Chinese literature and more history. I have read a handful of Chinese poetry but I've never tackled the great Chinese novels - Journey to the West, The Water Margin, or the Story of the Stone - yet. I am determined to do so now. Alongside Chinese poetry. Although I'm not sure how much of it is fully translated.
Each Chapter covers a different era of Chinese history - and there's a short afterward that takes us through Covid virtually up to the present day. He talks through the major historical events and trends. We're introduced to the key figures in politics and the arts. But he also does a great job of focusing in each era on a particularly person or village that isn't necessarily an incredibly famous person. It gives each chapter a touchstone that is sometimes lost in these big sweeping histories.
He also references where we are in Western history so that you can keep your baring's and see how far ahead China was at some points.
I think the West has a fixed view of China that is based on the moment it was falling apart and the moment we got involved that conveniently allows us to see it as primitive. Even though for all but a small chunk of its history it was a more organised, wealthy, and powerful state than most of Europe. I think the West doesn't understand China and this book I think is worth reading to help you to try.
Recommended. It is based on Michael Wood's TV series, which I'd now like to track down and watch.
Obviously by the nature of the breadth of time Michael Wood is aiming to cover it can't be hugely detailed on each era, but it gives you a good sweep of the key events, people, places, and literature. It's a book that points you in the direction of other books. Both Chinese literature and more history. I have read a handful of Chinese poetry but I've never tackled the great Chinese novels - Journey to the West, The Water Margin, or the Story of the Stone - yet. I am determined to do so now. Alongside Chinese poetry. Although I'm not sure how much of it is fully translated.
Each Chapter covers a different era of Chinese history - and there's a short afterward that takes us through Covid virtually up to the present day. He talks through the major historical events and trends. We're introduced to the key figures in politics and the arts. But he also does a great job of focusing in each era on a particularly person or village that isn't necessarily an incredibly famous person. It gives each chapter a touchstone that is sometimes lost in these big sweeping histories.
He also references where we are in Western history so that you can keep your baring's and see how far ahead China was at some points.
I think the West has a fixed view of China that is based on the moment it was falling apart and the moment we got involved that conveniently allows us to see it as primitive. Even though for all but a small chunk of its history it was a more organised, wealthy, and powerful state than most of Europe. I think the West doesn't understand China and this book I think is worth reading to help you to try.
Recommended. It is based on Michael Wood's TV series, which I'd now like to track down and watch.
moralalec's review
2.0
Oh goodness, where to begin. I'll start with the good, I really appreciated the detail that Michael Wood went through to detail the multi-thousand year story of China and her various transformations through all her different empires. Above all what I loved most was his focusing on individuals throughout this story, such as the poet Li Qingzhao and the classic author Cao Xueqin. I've been exposed to so much Chinese thought, literature, and poetry because of my reading of this book and for that I would give this book a 5 star review. It'll be a source of reference for me on those Chinese figures for years and years to come. Now for the bad. I got rumblings of Michael Woods' orientalist and anti-communism approach early, but it truly began to sink in as his writings on the modern era approached and came into full swing during the 20th century period of writings. Of course, I expected this anti-communist narrative from a liberal capitalist of his nature, but I didn't expect the biases he displayed to be so... well dishonest. Michael not only misquotes Mao numerous times, he even goes as far as to claim he held views that were antithetical to everything he said or did. Now this doesn't even begin to touch on the dishonest ways in which he attempts to criticize him by say claiming Mao caused an entire famine, if Mao could cause famine then boy have I been mistaken about the power of humans. But he also continues to look at the West through very close-minded, imperialist eyes claiming that the "democracy" and "freedoms" of the West could save China without realizing how little little democracy and freedom the West (and the rest of the world due to the oppressive power of The West) actually has. It's honestly sickening how much of a capitalist (and by extension imperialist) apologist this guy is. Not to mention his love for discrediting anything that could cast the Chinese communist party in a good light and readiness to accept anything that would disparage it. Obviously, the Chinese communist party (which isn't even communist, heck it really only has a few socialist threads) is a very complicated party that has done a lot for the people of China and made its fair share of grave errors too. But I don't subscribe to this notion that a Western capitalist model would've helped China or that the CCP is an abhorrent totalitarian government, in fact I'd venture to say that compared to every other major world power China is by far the best example of what a country should look like and how it should run.