A section of the Great Wall of China
The influence of China and Japan on global history has been immense, and goes back further than many Americans may realize. To understand these nations in the context of the modern world, Justin M. Jacobs, associate professor of history at American University, provides a comprehensive perspective on thousands of years of their pasts.
FEATURED TOPIC
Ancient China
There are more than 3,000 years of recorded history in China. Jacobs contextualizes the nation’s political tradition as he considers major themes and events from the great states and empires of the East Asian mainland. He offers a look at the foundational institutions of the Shang and Zhou dynasties; classical philosophers; the establishment of the first empire; the great southern migration and the conquest of the agricultural heartland by northern nomads; the civil service examination system; the expeditionary voyages of Zheng He; and the impact of the West on China.
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