China Through Time: A 2,500 Year Journey along the World's Greatest Canal

by Edward Aves (Retelling)

This beautifully illustrated and exquisitely detailed book takes you on an unforgettable time-traveling journey through Chinese history.

Spanning 2,500 years and 1,115 miles (1,794 km), from Hangzhou in the south to Beijing in the north, China Through Time tells the fascinating story of China's Grand Canal--the world's longest and oldest man-made waterway. Meet emperors, armies, and soldiers from early Chinese history, and follow the construction and development of the Grand Canal up to the present.

Stunning panoramic illustrations and lively, engaging text bring to life key periods and turning points in the canal's history. Cutaway views showing the interior of boats and buildings, picture pullouts surrounding each double-page illustration, and simple annotations highlighting important characters and places provide a wealth of detail that will stimulate children's interest in the history of China. Children will also love searching for the time-traveling cat who appears in the illustrations, drawing them further into the hustle and bustle of each scene.

Perfect for parents and children to pore over and discuss together time and again, China Through Time also makes a gorgeous gift or collector's item. Fun, interactive, and packed with compelling detail, it vividly presents Chinese history to children as they have never seen it before.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, China, Picture Books, Geography, Juvenile

Hardcover

Published January 2, 2020

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Companion to Du Fei's The Great Wall Through Time: A 2,700-Year Journey Along the World's Greatest Wall.

On the one hand, this book probably taught me more (as I went in knowing next to nothing about the Grand Canal—as opposed to the Great Wall, about which I already knew a fair amount); but then on the other was overall less interesting, since the Wall (if kept out the barbarians!) tells a frankly more riveting tale than the Canal (it facilitated commerce!!). The illustrations are also a bit more repetitive, consisting of various canal-side scenes that vary little from dynasty to dynasty and city to city. Still, a quick but fascinating read.

[Elfo-oscuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coincido en que el orden de paginas no es el adecuado pues va adelante y atras en el tiempo segun pasas paginas. Por lo demas yo lo fui degustando poco a poco, un par de paginas al día y asi se disfruta y no cansa. Muy instructivo para aprender de China

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book of the history of the world's greatest canal. All the illustrations are superb in every way. This is a great book for children as well as those, like us, who are adults. Great fun looking for the cat and all the other items that we were challenged to find.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing historical journey through the greatest canal. The detail in each of the panoramic illustrations is so compelling and feels so alive. It was also lots of fun finding Lihua the street smart cat.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated book showing historical scenes along the Grand Canal in China. Fun can-you-spot-X games (including a little cat in each scene) on each spread for little kids. I'd have liked a bit more historical context for older kids and adults, I don't know that I could say I necessarily learned more than a few scattered facts from it. Nevertheless, worth it for the illustrations alone.

[Dee Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Idk that they made first canal in china. It was a fun fact! Love the way they draw it, lots of attention to detail and yet fun to read. 3.5/5 (because i’m in hurry to finish the book before the library close) but still fun read

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent children's book with snapshots of various events or locations in China. We enjoyed the short stories and loved the "seek and find" pictures. Highly recommend as a supplemental intro to Chinese history.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text could be more engaging and organized (the narrative jumped back and forth through time), but the painstaking details of the illustrations are simply gorgeous and worth 5 out of 5 stars.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful children's book that gave me a very high-level history of China's Grand Canal.

[Bradyasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview for all ages

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, easy to find cat

[Anne M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing illustration and story, but it's not entirely in chronological order.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The modern part isn’t so attractive, the rest is fantastic.

[Marcela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and very interesting book. The illustrations are amazing. Me and my son loved this book