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The Search for Modern China
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 52 mins
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Publisher's summary
The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth.
With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, from the waning days of the once-glorious Ming Dynasty to Deng Xiaoping’s bloody suppression of the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China. Through the ideas and emotions of its reformist Confucian scholars, its poets, novelists, artists, and visionary students, we see one of the world’s oldest cultures struggling to define itself as Chinese and modern.
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- Delano
- 10-19-12
Excellent book, lazy narrator
This is a classic textbook on early modern and modern Chinese history. I've very happy to see it finally appearing in audio form, and I hope there are more on the way.
I have one complaint: The pronunciation of most of the Chinese names is so wrong that the reader might as well be making up random noises. For example, "zhou" is pronounced "joe," not "zoo," and it matters because "zhou" appears in the names of most Chinese geographic locations outside Beijing and Shanghai. It would take 10 minutes for the reader to learn the absolute basics of how to pronounce Chinese names. By being too lazy to take those 10 minutes, the next 20? 30? hours of audio lose much of their value for any listener who hopes actually to learn something.
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39 people found this helpful
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- Jan Vanderlinden
- 09-08-13
The narrator doesn't know how to pronounce Chinese
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I really looked forward to the book, but the narrator is so awful I felt as though it was a total waste of time. I am not a Chinese speaker but have a rudimentary knowledge of the language and pronunciation - enough to cringe every time he tried to pronounce any Chinese names or words. Awful!!
What could Jonathan D. Spence have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
I couldn't really continue listening after a few hours.
Would you be willing to try another one of Frederick Davidson’s performances?
Not one that related to anything Chinese.
Was The Search for Modern China worth the listening time?
Unfortunately no. . ..
Any additional comments?
Don't buy this is you have the slightest idea of how to pronounce anything Chinese. I really can't comprehend why the narrator was hired to read this book!
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24 people found this helpful
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- Patricia
- 01-02-13
Great Read, Difficult Chinese
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would certainly recommend this book as it is both comprehensive and concise. Spence does a great job at covering China's history in a easily digestible read.
What other book might you compare The Search for Modern China to and why?
Nothing out there really compares to Spence's tome, but to supplement this history, Arthur Smith's 19th and 20th century writings cover Chinese culture and society from a more humanistic perspective. Together, the reader will get a good feel for China.
How could the performance have been better?
Chinese pronunciation is difficult for a non-native speaker and the reader's attempts, while noble, fall short of the mark. For those who speak Mandarin, the Chinese pronunciation is annoyingly incorrect making it difficult to follow the narrative when it comes to places and names. It's a struggle, at best. However, for non Mandarin speakers, this may not be a problem.
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24 people found this helpful
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- John
- 11-28-12
An undisputed classic
This book is epic, narrative history at its absolute best, as it traces the history of China from the time of the late Ming until the present day. In its best moments, it evokes the likes of Edward Gibbon, as we follow the rise and fall of the larger-than-life personalities, from the Chongzheng Emperor to Deng Xiaoping, that dot the historical landscape of the Middle Kingdom. This is one of those rare historical tomes that I would recommend to anyone, regardless of whether one's interest in Chinese history is professional or casual, and regardless of one's level of scholarship. In short, this is a classic of Chinese history, and even, dare I say, a classic of narrative history.
The performance is solid as well, but has some serious problems. Although the reader never lost my attention, his pronunciation of Chinese names is inconsistent and, more often than not, incorrect. The audible edition is nonetheless worth spending a credit on, and comes highly recommended.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Phil Queeg
- 12-28-13
Great scholarship read by unctuous buffoon
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
A different reader
Who was your favorite character and why?
Chiang Kai-shek, a balanced treatment.
What didn’t you like about Frederick Davidson’s performance?
Davidson combined his self-satisfied, precious English with self-confident, odious Chinese pronunciation. When quoting from a document, he slipped into a sing-song chant one might use in reading off the contents of fortune cookies.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Search for Modern China?
None
Any additional comments?
I respect Professor Spence and his work, but the reading is more suitable for a skit on Saturday Night Live. Perhaps Davidson was chosen by some of Spence's academic rivals, or perhaps this is some sort of elaborate joke.
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16 people found this helpful
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- Ken Neisser
- 09-08-16
Great History, Lazy Reader, Needs Update
Is there anything you would change about this book?
New reader, if there is an updated version. History through 70's is solid, but needs perspective of 25 years since 1990 for better interpretation of '80's. And reader should be fired for failing to attempt reasonable pronunciation! Come on! How hard is it to say Dung for Deng or Joe for Zho or Chou (as in Zho Enlai)? Other Audible histories have had names clearly re-read into the text to get them right. And for heaven's sake, someone told him that the Hungarian leader executed in '56, Nagy, was pronounced "Nahge" (which he read correctly) so it couldn't have been that hard. His butchering of almost every name really hurt my ears. It was tolerable -- if a constant irritant -- when I recognized the person through the mangled pronunciation, but lost me countless personages I might have gotten had I heard the name correctly, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof.
What did you like best about this story?
I had Spence for Chinese History at Yale in the spring of 1972, a very exciting time to be studying it! He was amazing, then at the beginning of his career. And late Ming and Qing materials are reminiscent of the course and solid. Because the names were so butchered by the reader, the 20th century was much harder to follow.
What didn’t you like about Frederick Davidson’s performance?
Too lazy to get correct phonetic pronunciations. And the emphases he often placed were wrong, showing he clearly did not have a very strong understanding of what he was reading.
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13 people found this helpful
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- DC House
- 08-12-16
Fascinating book; horrible narration
Would you try another book from Jonathan D. Spence and/or Frederick Davidson?
From Jonathan Spence definitely.
Davidson, never
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frederick Davidson?
Anyone who would bother to spend the hour or two it takes to learn basic pronounciation of pinyin Chinese. His butchering of the names, places and words makes it impossible to listen and impossible to remember anything
Any additional comments?
I want to return the book. The narrator messes up Chinese so much the text become unintelligible.
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13 people found this helpful
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- josh
- 03-28-18
Bizarre choice of narrator
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, this is a major work of history and it is hugely convenient to enjoy as an audiobook.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Search for Modern China?
The whole book is a masterpiece, a truly magisterial work of scholarship. But as far as the story is concerned, you can't beat the Long March as an epic moment in history.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frederick Davidson?
Anyone with a passing knowledge of Chinese pronunciation or anyone with a more standard english pronunciation. I speak Mandarin as a second language and I would not expect a professional narrator to have a deep knowledge of Chinese, but the author does provide several notes on pronunciation at the outset. Those notes were read aloud by Mr. Davidson and then completely discarded.
Mr. Davidson's pronunciation was somewhat comprehensible when he was reading well-known Chinese place names (Suzhou, Guangdong etc.) and I was able to follow along when he was speaking about historical figures I'd already known about (Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai etc.), but as soon as he started referencing people I'd never heard of, the whole narration became an incomprehensible soup of names that I wouldn't be able to look up if I tried.
Again, I speak Mandarin quite well and could not tell what this narrator was saying most of the time he used Chinese names. It's also worth noting that Mr. Davidson has a highly idiosyncratic way of pronouncing English words such as 'turban', 'tri-city', or the common male name 'Caleb'. This book would be better served by someone with a more neutral way of pronouncing English. No disrespect to Frederick Davidson, either. He's recorded a fantastic version of the Brothers Karamazov.
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8 people found this helpful
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- The Qing Dynasty
- 10-13-17
Cringeworthy pronunciations of Chinese terms
The male narrator has a magisterial nonrotic British accent suitable for this sweeping history, but the way he botches Chinese terms is distracting and confusing, all the more so for being so easily preventable with a bit of coaching. He apparently has no understanding whatsoever of how pinyin works. Get ready for Empress Dowager KEE-shee, Chen DUK-show, LUK-sion (Lu Xun!), HEE-bayee (Hebei) and other atrocities.
As for the book, it’s good. Spence had lately fashioned himself an annoying belle lettrist, but not yet here.
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- YIQING XU
- 11-27-17
pronunciation of Chinese’s names is horrible
It’s a great book, but the reader’s pronunciation of Chinese names is horrible. He should have done some homework.
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- By: John Keay
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
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Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
By: John Keay
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On China
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Nicholas Hormann
- Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to a country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon’s historic trip to Beijing.
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Another History of China
- By Elton on 09-23-11
By: Henry Kissinger
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The Story of China
- The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream
- By: Michael Wood
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 20 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
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.
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Please hire narrator who can pronounce Chinese
- By Rob on 07-28-22
By: Michael Wood
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The People's Republic of Amnesia
- Tiananmen Revisited
- By: Louisa Lim
- Narrated by: Louisa Lim
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The People's Republic of Amnesia, NPR correspondent Louisa Lim charts how the events of June 4 changed China, and how China changed the events of June 4 by rewriting its own history. Lim reveals new details about those fateful days, including how one of the country's most senior politicians lost a family member to an army bullet, as well as the inside story of the young soldiers sent to clear Tiananmen Square.
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great book and recording
- By Robert Peters on 06-14-16
By: Louisa Lim
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The Third Revolution
- Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State
- By: Elizabeth C. Economy
- Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eminent China scholar Elizabeth C. Economy provides an incisive look at the transformative changes underway in China today. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has unleashed a powerful set of political and economic reforms: the centralization of power under Xi himself; the expansion of the Communist Party's role in Chinese political, social, and economic life; and the construction of a virtual wall of regulations to control more closely the exchange of ideas and capital between China and the outside world.
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A decent synopsis of Xi Jinping and his polices
- By Yoda on 04-29-19
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The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom
- America and China, 1776 to the Present
- By: John Pomfret
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Our relationship with China remains one of the most complex and rapidly evolving and is perhaps one of the most important to our nation's future. Here, John Pomfret, the author of the best-selling Chinese Lessons, takes us deep into these two countries' shared history and illuminates in vibrant, stunning detail every major event, relationship, and ongoing development that has affected diplomacy between these two booming, influential nations.
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Indispensable for understanding the US China relationship
- By D. Keith on 03-12-17
By: John Pomfret
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China
- A History
- By: John Keay
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
-
-
Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
By: John Keay
-
On China
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Nicholas Hormann
- Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to a country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon’s historic trip to Beijing.
-
-
Another History of China
- By Elton on 09-23-11
By: Henry Kissinger
-
The Story of China
- The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream
- By: Michael Wood
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 20 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Please hire narrator who can pronounce Chinese
- By Rob on 07-28-22
By: Michael Wood
-
The People's Republic of Amnesia
- Tiananmen Revisited
- By: Louisa Lim
- Narrated by: Louisa Lim
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The People's Republic of Amnesia, NPR correspondent Louisa Lim charts how the events of June 4 changed China, and how China changed the events of June 4 by rewriting its own history. Lim reveals new details about those fateful days, including how one of the country's most senior politicians lost a family member to an army bullet, as well as the inside story of the young soldiers sent to clear Tiananmen Square.
-
-
great book and recording
- By Robert Peters on 06-14-16
By: Louisa Lim
-
The Third Revolution
- Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State
- By: Elizabeth C. Economy
- Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eminent China scholar Elizabeth C. Economy provides an incisive look at the transformative changes underway in China today. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has unleashed a powerful set of political and economic reforms: the centralization of power under Xi himself; the expansion of the Communist Party's role in Chinese political, social, and economic life; and the construction of a virtual wall of regulations to control more closely the exchange of ideas and capital between China and the outside world.
-
-
A decent synopsis of Xi Jinping and his polices
- By Yoda on 04-29-19
-
The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom
- America and China, 1776 to the Present
- By: John Pomfret
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our relationship with China remains one of the most complex and rapidly evolving and is perhaps one of the most important to our nation's future. Here, John Pomfret, the author of the best-selling Chinese Lessons, takes us deep into these two countries' shared history and illuminates in vibrant, stunning detail every major event, relationship, and ongoing development that has affected diplomacy between these two booming, influential nations.
-
-
Indispensable for understanding the US China relationship
- By D. Keith on 03-12-17
By: John Pomfret
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China in Ten Words
- By: Yu Hua, Allan H. Barr - translator
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From one of China’s most acclaimed writers, his first work of nonfiction to appear in English: a unique, intimate look at the Chinese experience over the last several decades, told through personal stories and astute analysis that sharply illuminate the country’s meteoric economic and social transformation. Characterized by Yu Hua’s trademark wit, insight, and courage, China in Ten Words is a refreshingly candid vision of the “Chinese miracle” and all its consequences, from the singularly invaluable perspective of a writer living in China today.
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Best Popular Book on China
- By taylor storey on 09-21-14
By: Yu Hua, and others
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The Long Game
- China's Grand Strategy to Displace American Order
- By: Rush Doshi
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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.
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fresh perspective, grand strategic view
- By ndru1 on 02-05-22
By: Rush Doshi
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The World According to China
- By: Elizabeth C. Economy
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
An economic and military superpower with twenty percent of the world's population, China has the wherewithal to transform the international system. Xi Jinping's bold calls for China to "lead in the reform of the global governance system" suggest that he has just such an ambition. But how does he plan to realize it? And what does it mean for the rest of the world? In this compelling book, Elizabeth Economy reveals China's ambitious new strategy to reclaim the country's past glory and reshape the geostrategic landscape in dramatic new ways.
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Excellent Book on China Expansionism
- By William on 08-19-22
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The Party
- The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers
- By: Richard McGregor
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Party is Financial Times reporter Richard McGregor's eye-opening investigation into China's Communist Party, and the integral role it has played in the country's rise as a global superpower and rival to the United States. Many books have examined China's economic rise, human rights record, turbulent history, and relations with the US; none until now, however, have tackled the issue central to understanding all of these issues: how the ruling communist government works. The Party delves deeply into China's secretive political machine.
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The content is good but the narrator is terrible
- By Kit on 02-24-20
By: Richard McGregor
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The Shortest History of China
- From the Ancient Dynasties to a Modern Superpower: A Retelling for Our Times
- By: Linda Jaivin
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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.
By: Linda Jaivin
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The Elephant and the Dragon