From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History

De: Kenneth J. Hammond, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Kenneth J. Hammond

For most of its 5,000-year existence, China has been the largest, most populous, wealthiest, and mightiest nation on Earth. And for us as Westerners, it is essential to understand where China has been in order to anticipate its future. These 36 eye-opening lectures deliver a comprehensive political and historical overview of one of the most fascinating and complex countries in world history.

You'll learn about the powerful dynasties that ruled China for centuries; the philosophical and religious foundations-particularly Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism-that have influenced every iteration of Chinese thought, and the larger-than-life personalities, from both inside and outside its borders, of those who have shaped China's history. As you listen to these lectures, you'll see how China's politics, economics, and art reflect the forces of its past.

From the "Mandate of Heaven," a theory of social contract in place by 1500 B.C.E., 3,000 years before Western philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, to the development of agriculture and writing independent of outside influence to the technologically - advanced Han Dynasty during the time of the Roman Empire, this course takes you on a journey across ground that has been largely unexplored in the history courses most of us in the West have taken.

In guiding you through the five millennia of China's history, Professor Hammond tells a fascinating story with an immense scope, a welcome reminder that China is no stranger to that stage and, indeed, has more often than not been the most extraordinary player on it.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses

A good listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes because it is a great crash course to Chinese history and seems to cover all of the main events.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Professor Kenneth J. Hammond?

That depends on the subject. He wasn't a particularly great story teller and didn't really make the subject come to life. I was interested in most of the lectures so I could pay attention, but occasionally he would dwell on some less interesting topics and I would lose interest.

Any additional comments?

I certainly enjoyed the audiobook but it was not one I could listen to for hours at a time because the Professor was not very energized. I was also disappointed that he did not talk about the building of the Great Wall at all. However, it was a great introduction/overview of Chinese History.

Great overview and introduction, but...

This was a great first dive into the history of China. The delivery is much cleaner if you listen at 1.5-1.7 speed. The author is far too lenient in his presentation of Mao's leadership. Mao and his cronies were greedy, murderous thugs. This is an established historical fact. They went the way that all the failed communist and fascist state leaders did, taking what they wanted for themselves using the power of the state, at the cost of countless millions of their people's lives and livelihoods, leaving a colossal monument to the greed in the human heart in their wake. There is no mention of Mao's violent suppression of religious faiths, and the wholesale enslavement/imprisonment of millions of people in state concentration camps, which is still happening today, especially with indigenous peoples such as the Uighur. Of course there is only so much time for each lecture, and the professor is obviously pro-China in general and may want to maintain the ability to have some interaction within China and with native Chinese scholars and programs in the future, so he is limited in what details he might share, but still. I would still recommend this overall, and the PDF lecture summaries are very useful and a nice touch.

Spoilt by an uninspiring presentation

Too many "ah... " and "umm's..." punctuated an otherwise interesting history of China. Also, the expanse of 5000 years made it difficult to cover in detail the full scope of China's history,l. The presenter often summarised long periods of interesting history that might have been given attention in a longer course or a course separated into modern and ancient China.

An excellent lens on Chinese history.

A very insightful production. It was focused as well as entertaining. A very rare match.

Absolutely gripping

I studied Chinese language and literature in college but spent very little time on history outside of the more contemporary items. This lecture series has inspired me to dig in more deeply to different periods. I'm addicted to Great Courses!

Long long book on China

While the author clearly knows the subject matter.”, his delivery is very bland.. Madd it hard to follow at times.

very comprehensive

This series of lectures gave me note perspective on Chinese history than I even knew I lacked.

Very comprehensive

This course gives you a brief thumbnail sketch of all of Chinese history. I think it is a must for anyone who wishes to understand China's role in global politics. Certainly should be considered a classic. This professor's pronunciation of Chinese proper nouns, although not perfect, is a lot better than most audio productions of anything having to do with China.

Pretty good

Not too detailed, but had a lot of names to remember. Good overall history. 7.5/10.

Good until Communist bias spoiled things

The lecture series was spoiled by the biased treatment of Mao’s rule. The lecturer glossed over so much suffering during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Mao was responsible for more deaths than any leader in history and deliberately starved his own people (telling them to learn to eat tree leaves) while sending the food they produced to other countries in acts of largesse. The lecturer seemed to think the mass killing and torture of “landlords” was really quite a positive development in land reform. It’s a bit as if you covered Hitler’s renovation of Berlin and spiffing up of the military and neglected to discuss certain other details of his leadership with which we are all familiar. The lecturer was clearly a Communist sympathizer. Keep your politics at home and teach history.

Aside from the problem of looking the other way at mass death and misery, the other issue is that his treatment of Mao left me wondering what else had been skimmed over.

However, apart from the “um’s” and “ah’s” in the delivery style, I had been quite enjoying the series until it reached the Communist era. I am sure it is at least beneficial for understanding the broad strokes of Chinese history, about which I knew very little before.