China: A History in Objects

by Jessica Harrison-Hall

来自6000千年前的陶罐，彰显着新石器时代工匠出色的陶冶工艺； 一组陶制墓柱，投射了安定富庶的汉代社会“视死如生”的丧葬观念； 异域主题的唐代酒器，则是盛唐时期繁荣的商品贸易与文化融合的产物…… 《大英博物馆中国简史》以承载着文明印记的文物为基点，透视其背后社会的人、事、时、地。有别于一般的宏观讲述，以物为线，从石器时代到现代中国，诠释数千年的文明脉络。

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Art

343 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what made me think learning about history via "objects" would make it more interesting, but this book absolutely bored me to tears. (Okay I do know: I took an art history course in college titled something like "The Arts of East Asia" that really immersed me in ancient cultures, but not only did the art consist of much more than "objects," we got to explore art from Japan, Korea and India as well as China.)

I was hoping to get a sense of the dynastic periods – the distinguishing features of each, and a glimpse of daily life during each – but I did not. Instead I got endless examples of which glaze was used on which piece of pottery, and which was "discovered" by which random 19th/20th-century British dude. The pottery wasn't the only thing glazing over, I can tell you that.

Every once in a blue moon I did salvage a decent factoid, and I get that maybe I'm not the ideal audience for this book, but I'm still going with a 1 star rating because it wasn't available from my library and I'm bitter that I actually *spent money* on this empty vessel of a book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very impressive photographic portrayal of artistic objects from thousands of years of Chinese history, each with a fascinating description. The book might be better subtitled “Objects in History,” since the text does not convey a coherent story. As far as Chinese history it is not an introduction - better suited to readers with expertise in the subject. Particularly maddening is the lack of a even single map.

[Maxim Sheinin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because I read Neil McGregor's "A history of the world in 100 objects", which is also based on the artefacts from the British museum. While Harrison-Hall's book is well-researched and beautifully illustrated, the content oftentimes reads somewhat technical and dry, with a greater focus on the various techniques employed by the Chinese artisans and artists as opposed to painting a broader narrative of Chinese history. While understandably the objects described focus on the more precious ones, mostly designed for the imperial court, there may be a missed opportunity to also shed a greater light on the life of more ordinary Chinese men and women through the centuries.

[Arjen Taselaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully produced book on China, more a history of objects than a history in objects. The choice of illustrations has been carefully and expertly made from objects in the British Museum collections. It is a book to read slowly, but above all to enjoy the wonderful pictures of these outstanding works of arts and decoration that have been produced in China for millennia.

[Janta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and fascinating book. The photos of the art objects are well presented, and the accompanying text is informative and well written.

[Peter Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to dip into not to be read cover to cover!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exuberantly illustrated, it gave me more understanding of all of the Chinese items I saw at different museums. Focused mostly on art and pottery.