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A review by sherwoodreads
The Story of China: The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream by Michael Wood
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