China’s Imperial Past: An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture

by Charles O. Hucker

A work unique in the sweep of its design and scope, intended expressly for the general reader interested in human history and culture, this is a vivid panoramic survey of the vast course of Chinese civilization from prehistory to 1850, when the old China began the agonizing transition to the new. Historical surveys of China tend to be dynasty-by-dynasty chronicles with a profusion of names and dates and occaisional cultural tidbits, or to concentrate on the period from earliest times to the Han dynasty (or the T'ang), giving only scant coverage to the last thousand years. China's Imperial Past is different. Not only does it treat the three major periods of Chinese history at roughly equal length, weaving all their complexity into a balanced, integrated whole, but it gives ample space to China's magnificent literary and artistic achievements.

The author's approach is primarily interpretive, emphasizing patterns of change and development rather than factual details, but he never loses sight of the particularities that made traditional Chinese civilization one of the richest in human history. Especially notable are the many translations of Chinese poetry, among them more than twenty exquisite poems from the great poets of the T'ang.

The author divides Chinese history into three major a formative age, from high antiquity to the unification of China under the Ch'in in the third century B.C.; an early imperial age, from the Han dynasty (202 B.C.-A.D. 220) through the T'ang (618-907) and its breakdown; and a later imperial age, from the Sung dynasty (960-1279) to the mid-nineteenth century. Each major epoch is considered in topical chapters—on general history, political institutions, socioeconomic organization, religion and thought, and literature and the arts. A brief Epilogue comments on aspects of Chinese history since 1850.

The book includes 47 plates, eight maps, and various charts, and as appendixes and unusually detailed chronological table, notes on the Chines language, and suggestions for supplementary reading.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Asian Literature, Historical

474 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been trying to broaden my horizons past the Western- and Christian-centric history I know well. This book provided an excellent overview that I was looking for with dozens of references I will be looking up for further reading. My only complaint is that the romanization of the Chinese characters into the English alphabet is not the current and preferred one but that's my own fault for not noticing this was 45 years old when I picked it up.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright. The author breaks the book up into a few different ages, and for each age he breaks it up into general history, government, thought, and art and literature. I didn't care for the government, thought, or art and literature. It just wasn't very interesting to me. I was really reading the book for the general history sections, and it was kind of difficult for me to follow. Like other books I've read on Asian history, it is difficult to follow all of the asian names and keep track of people. There aren't many maps, which really makes it difficult when you are reading about a bunch of countries/cities that don't exist anymore.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a young, impressionable college freshmen, who didn't know the rule not to read the supplementary material. I remember taking copious amounts of notes on this text, and I don't think a single test related to this book at all. Well, live and learn. I wouldn't do it now of course, but I remember learning a lot from this book. Specifically that Chinese court live was color coded. You could tell where in the social hierarchy someone was simply by the color they wore. Genius. Other than that, I couldn't tell you what it was about.

[Mkp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb coverage of the overall history of China. In particular, it gives a good coverage of the pre-Qing Dynasty period. The historical narrative covers the earliest days on up to the advent of the Taiping Rebellion period. What I like about it is the general coverage of cultural and social developments during the various periods. It is a good introduction to the area and does not delve into scholarly debates, such as scholar X said this, but scholar Y said that. Instead, it gives Hucker's general perspective, which encompasses a respectful consideration of China's immense cultural developments.

The names are all in the Wade-Giles format, which was standard at the time of publication, but has now been replaced by Pinyin, so you will need to keep this in mind. The index is quite complete, so you can go back and comparatively check on various issues that appear in the course of your reading.

[Beth Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book a well-organized and useful overview of thousands of years of information. Hucker pointed overarching themes and changes in attitudes and provided enough detail to lead to deeper studies if desired. It did not try to hard to be entertaining, but was a pleasant way to absorb much. I especially liked that samples of the literature and writing were included, and not just referred to. I wanted to understand some of the underpinnings and culture essentials of China before I began reading the Four Classic Novels as a personal challenge and the book delivered exactly what I was hoping it would.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting overview of the history, beliefs, government, literature and art. It is well written but I graded it slightly lower due to the fact that it tries to do too much. This is good first source for persons who have never studied China, but is a little too broad for those who have a working knowledge. That aside, it has a great overview of Confucianism and has assisted me greatly in understanding it.

[Victoria Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hucker does wonders with almost 3000 years of Chinese-history in 450 pages. A sweeping but intense study which is enjoyable to read, split nicely and logically into time-frames and themes and which answers many questions as well as creating new ones. A must-read not only for those interested in Chinese history but also for those who want to understand China today and tomorrow,

[Jason Hebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting overview of China's imperial time periods. I would have preferred it to be more linear rather than topical and to be a little less detailed in art, thought and government while including more on science and economics but it was a very good introduction.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually the text book for a Chinese history class I had.

Pretty interesting reading for anyone interested in Asian history and culture.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous overview of Chinese history. One of the best collections of information on the Chinese Empires that I've read.