The Story of China, Michael Wood
The Story of China, Michael Wood
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The Story of China
The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream

Author: Michael Wood

Narrator: Liam Gerrard

Unabridged: 20 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/28/2022


Synopsis

Michael Wood has travelled the length and breadth of China, the world's oldest civilization and longest lasting state, to tell a thrilling story of intense drama, fabulous creativity, and deep humanity that stretches back thousands of years.

After a century and a half of foreign invasion, civil war, and revolution, China has once again returned to center stage as a global superpower and the world's second largest economy. But how did it become so dominant? Wood argues that in order to comprehend the great significance of China today, we must begin with its history.

The Story of China takes a fresh look at the Middle Kingdom in the light of the recent massive changes inside the country. Taking into account exciting new archeological discoveries, the book begins with China's prehistory. Wood looks at particular periods and themes that are now being reevaluated by historians. Wood explores the encounter with the West, the Opium Wars, the clashes with the British, and the extraordinarily rich debates in the late nineteenth century that pushed China along the path to modernity.

The Story of China is the indispensable book about the most intriguing and powerful country on the world stage today.

About Michael Wood

Michael Wood is a historian, filmmaker, and broadcaster who has written several bestselling books and made well over one hundred documentary films which are regularly seen on PBS. Some of these book-and-documentary projects include In Search of the Dark Ages, In Search of the Trojan War, and In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great. A professor of public history at the University of Manchester, he is also a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, the Royal Historical Society, and the Society of Antiquaries. He recently received the British Academy President's Medal for services to history and outreach.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship on November 14, 2022

3.5 stars This is absolutely a worthwhile read if, like me, you could use a crash course in Chinese history. The overwhelming majority of accessible material in English is about the 20th century and onward, with an occasional dip back into the 19th, and so a popular work providing an overview of all......more

Goodreads review by 8stitches 9lives on November 12, 2020

A single-volume history of China, offering a look into the past of the global superpower and its significance today. Michael Wood has travelled the length and breadth of China, the world’s oldest civilization and longest-lasting state, to tell a thrilling story of intense drama, fabulous creativity,......more

Goodreads review by Randal on September 23, 2020

This is an incredible, epic read of Chinese history. Covering 4000 years of history is a daunting task, however the author does an excellent job of it. Breaking down the history into specific dynasties, Wood's makes you feel like you are there as history is being made. He manages to accomplish this......more

Goodreads review by East West Notes on July 01, 2020

"In the freezing December of 1899, two days before the winter solstice, the Guangxu emperor left the Forbidden City through Tiananmen Gate at the head of a huge and colourful procession." The Story of China is a highly engaging history of the many dynasties that were finally swept away by revolution.......more

Goodreads review by Dee on November 24, 2020

Floods on the Yangtze River… the different dynasties, such as Han, Tang, Song, and Ming…a society far advanced from Europe. These and many other illuminating facts await you in “The Story of China” by Michael Wood. Don’t be turned away by the 600+ pages in this book. My impression before opening the......more