Ancient China

From kung-fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk, China has influenced cuisine, commerce, military strategy, aesthetics, and philosophy across the world for thousands of years. Chinese history is nothing if not messy. Heroes are also villains; prosperity mingles with violence; cultural vibrancy coexists with censorship and repression. Modern China is seen variously as an economic powerhouse, an icon of urbanization, a propaganda state, and an aggressive superpower seeking world domination.

In this audiobook, you will be led on a journey through almost 2,000 years of Chinese history, showing you all the ups and downs of those ancient times, the sufferings and joys of the Chinese people, along with their greatest achievements and failures. Dynasties will change, people will be killed and born, art made and destroyed, but the Chinese civilization will prevail, rising from humble beginnings to an empire that at some points outshined any other in the world at that time.

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.

Spend twenty-four hours with the ancient Chinese. Travel back to AD 17, during the fourth year of the reign of Wang Mang of the Han dynasty, a vibrant and innovative era full of conflicts and contradictions. But as different as the Han culture might have been to other great ancient civilizations, the inhabitants of ancient China faced the same problems as people have for time immemorial: earning enough money, coping with workplace dramas, and keeping your home in order.

In his retelling of a Chinese history stretching back 5,000 years, author and China-expert Jonathan Clements focuses on the human stories which led to the powerful transformations in Chinese society - from the unification of China under its first emperor, Qinshi Huangdi, to the Mongol invasion under Genghis Khan and the consolidation of Communist rule under Mao Zedong. Clements even brings listeners through to the present day, outlining China's economic renaissance under Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping.

One of the most profound studies of warfare ever written, The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China presents us with an Eastern tradition of strategic thought that emphasizes outwitting one's opponent through speed, stealth, flexibility, and a minimum of force - an approach very different from that stressed in the West, where the advantages of brute strength have overshadowed more subtle methods.

The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes investigates the trade routes between Rome and the powerful empires of inner Asia, including the Parthian regime which ruled ancient Persia (Iran). It explores Roman dealings with the Kushan Empire which seized power in Bactria (Afghanistan) and laid claim to the Indus Kingdoms. Further chapters examine the development of Palmyra as a leading caravan city on the edge of Roman Syria and consider trade ventures through the Tarim territories that led Roman merchants to Han China.

In The Long Game, Rush Doshi draws from a rich base of Chinese primary sources, including decades worth of party documents, leaked materials, memoirs by party leaders, and a careful analysis of China's conduct to provide a history of China's grand strategy since the end of the Cold War.

The Chinese created an amazing society that grew from along the banks of the Yellow River to oceans and lands beyond. But first, these people had to fight off jealous tribes from all sides and move their entire towns due to terrible floods. Yet they worked hard and built a culture that still survives - and thrives - today. Let’s take a close look at some of the most notorious leaders, their culture, and what drove them to persevere through the thousands of years it took to build the China we know today.

This audiobook narrated by Jim Lee provides a rich, discovery-filled account of how a forgotten empire transformed the ancient world.

Zhou never seems to beat his brother, Cheng, at anything. But when Zhou finds a jade dragon, his luck changes. Soon, Zhou is beating Cheng at everything. Will Zhou and his jade dragon be able to keep up the winning streak, or will he lose his luck?

Have you ever felt a sense of awe looking at the beauty of Chinese paintings and wanted to know more about the people and culture that produced these works of art? Did you know that early Chinese artists experimented with oils before opting to paint exclusively with water colors on silk or paper? Did you know that Chinese paintings are traditionally classified under eight headings? Are you able to identify and contrast conservative and progressive elements within Chinese paintings? Have you noticed the “mystery of the soul-world” in Chinese paintings? John Calvin Ferguson (1866-1945), a...

Song Sun likes to talk but never listens. After talking too much to a stranger, Song Sun accidentally gives away the Chinese secret of silkmaking. Will Song Sun be able to save the secret?

Following the death of her father, Sasha Jean attends a family reunion, after years of estrangement, with the uncomfortable knowledge that she has inherited the estate where her relatives live. "The History of China" explores the multi-generational stories that shape this complicated family.

“Its miracle and its enigma are within the worlds of inner alchemy of the Age of Enlightenment.” Sunday Times A-Ma Alchemy of Love, is a Historical Novel set in the 17th century Chinese Macao, where History is like the Playing the Glass Bead Game with Pythagoras. “A bridge builder between East and West, following ancient archaeological findings, she often dives into the historic settings more than 2,000 years back in time. In her novel, Ama: Playing the Glass Bead Game with Pythagoras, the 53-year-old author makes a bold swerve into less traveled territory. She chooses for her ...

FOR OVER TWO THOUSAND YEARS THE SECRET HIDING PLACE OF THE JADE SEAL HAS BEEN JUST THAT – A SECRET.The dragon seal of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, will be the most valuable ancient artefact to come from the Middle Kingdom, if they can find it. The accidental destruction of a small antique porcelain pillow reveals the secret of the seal, leading the young Australian teacher and his Scottish friend away from their peaceful college at Nandaihe on the shore of the Bo Sea, drawing them up into the freezing bleakness of the jagged mountains of Huangshan as they try to locate the ...

It has become a common theme in today’s world to talk about the incredible technological and economic development of modern China. However, there are very strong historical roots to the exponential growth of modern China going back thousands and thousands of years.

An army of Huns led by the ferocious Shan-Yu has invaded China. The Chinese Imperial Army must fight! Mulan, a young woman desperate to bring honor to her family, disguises herself as a male warrior in order to spare her father. Follow along as Mulan proves herself and defends China from the Huns!

Han Li thinks he is the smartest poet and most talented painter in China. His master, Lin Cho, tries to warn him about his arrogance, but Han Li does not listen. When Lin Cho becomes ill before he can finish his painting for the emperor, what will Han Li do?

One of the most turbulent and romanticized eras in ancient Chinese history is that of the three kingdoms period. During the third century AD in China, warlords battled for supremacy. This turbulent and bloody era is known as the three kingdoms period. It's also one of the most romanticized eras in Chinese history; heroes and villains like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Zhuge Liang have served has inspiration for poetry, novels, opera, and song in China.