A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]

The text offers a chronological survey of Chinese development from prehistoric cultures and archaeological evidence through successive dynastic eras, treating political, social, economic, and cultural change. It combines material archaeology with political narrative to trace state formation, the transition from feudal structures to centralized bureaucracy, military and frontier strategies, regional divisions and population movements. Attention is given to economic patterns, class and institutional evolution, and dominant intellectual currents such as Confucian and Daoist thought, while chapters also examine literature, art, and administrative practices that shaped continuity and change across periods.