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I bought this book as it had the best reproduction of the Han dynasty picture of Xiwangmu that I've seen. It looked like a fairly typical basic art book about China, but then I noticed it was written by Edward Shaughnessy who is a proper Chinese historian so I decided it was worth getting.
The book has some amazing pictures and gives a very good brief overview of Chinese history from the Bronze Age to the An Lushan rebellion in the mid-Tang. The book looks at all aspects of life in early Imperial China, from politics, war, art and religion. This book is a really great introduction to early dynastic history. And it has a fantastic list of references at the back for those who wish to learn more, most of which I've read and really enjoyed. I would highly recommend this book as an excellent starting point to anyone who is wanting to learn more about China's early history
The book has some amazing pictures and gives a very good brief overview of Chinese history from the Bronze Age to the An Lushan rebellion in the mid-Tang. The book looks at all aspects of life in early Imperial China, from politics, war, art and religion. This book is a really great introduction to early dynastic history. And it has a fantastic list of references at the back for those who wish to learn more, most of which I've read and really enjoyed. I would highly recommend this book as an excellent starting point to anyone who is wanting to learn more about China's early history