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Books : History : Asia : China : China
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Unabridged Audiobook. 2 CDs - 2 hours, 8 minutes. Narrated by Scott Brick & Shelly Frasier"All warfare is based on deception. Thus, when able to attack, we must seem unable. Hold out bait to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is quick to anger, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant."
Written before Alexander the Great was born, this Chinese treatise on war has become one of the most influential works on the subject. Read widely in the east since its appearance 2500 years ago, The Art of War first came to the west with a French Jesuit in1782. It has been studied by generals from Napoleon to Rommel and it is still required reading in most military academies of the world.
Although it was meant to be a practical guide to warfare in the age of chariots, many corporate and government leaders have successfully applied its lessons to battles in the modern dog-eat-dog world. Sun Tzu covers all aspects of war in his time, from strategy and tactics to the proper use of terrain and spies. In this version, Sun Tzu's lessons are brought to life with commentaries from ancient Chinese history, which illustrate both the philosophy and the principles of his teachings.
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The aim of this work is to suggest a rough outline of Chinese civilization from the earliest times down to the near present period of rapid and startling transition. It has been written, primarily, for readers who wish to expand their world view and knowledge on China's civilization in the hope that it may succeed in alluring them to a wider and more methodical research.
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Boswell once remarked to Dr. Johnson that "" the history of England is so strange that, if it were not well vouched as it is, it would be hardly credible."" To which Johnson replied in his usual style : "" Sir, if it were told as shortly, and with as little preparation for introducing the different events, as the history of the Jewish kings, it would be equally liable to objections of improbability."" Dr. Johnson went on to illustrate what he meant, by specific allusion to the concessions to Parliament made by Charles I. "" If,"" he said, "" these had been related nakedly, without any detail of the circumstances which generally led to them, they would not have been believed."" This is exactly the position of ancient Chinese history, which may be roughly said to coincide in time with the history of the Jewish kings. The Chinese Annals are mere diaries of events, isolated facts being tumbled together in order of date, without any regard for proportion. Epoch-making invasions, defeats, and cessions of territory are laconically noted down on a level with the princess indiscretion in weeping for a concubine as he would weep for a wife; or the Emperor's bounty in sending a dish of sacrificial meat to a vassal power by express messenger. In one way there is a distinct advantage in this method, for, the historian being seldom tempted to obtrude his own opinion or comments, we are left a clear course for the formation of our own judgments upon the facts given. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that what may be called the philosophy of history has never been seized by the Chinese mind: the annalists do not trouble themselves with the rights and aspirations of the masses ; the results to general policy that naturally follow upon increase of population, perfecting of arms and munitions of war, admixture of foreign blood with the body politic, and such like matters.
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Shang, Chou, Han, T’ang, Sung, Yuan, Ming, Ch’ing—for most Westerners, they stand only as adjectives to describe a lacquer, a bronze, a silk, a watercolor. And for all the familiarity a blue and white porcelain vase from the Ming dynasty or the bright and sturdy pottery figures of horses and grooms from the T’ang may now have acquired, the history of the civilization that produced them remains obscure. So do the names of the potters and artists and philosophers and emperors and generals—except perhaps for those of Kublai Khan, who was not Chinese, and K’ung Fu Tzu—known as Confucius—who flourished a century before Socrates. Focusing upon the incidents and personalities that epitomize most vividly each of the dynasties, this lucidly narrated volume, beautifully illustrated by a lavish selection of color photographs, places in their historical context the images that came to define imperial China from its origins in 1600 B.C. to the revolution of Sun Yat-sen in October 1911. It provides a background to China’s turbulent twentieth century, which is surveyed in an informative postscript, highlighting such events as the troubled presidency of Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-tung’s ruthless Cultural Revolution, and the 1989 student protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
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In this Second Edition of his widely acclaimed history of modern China, Jonathan Spence achieves a fine blend of narrative richness and efficiency. The text is tighter throughout and up-to-date on the most important scholarship in the field. The new discussions in this thorough revision include the extension of imperial power into central Asia by the eighteenth-century emperors, women's literacy and education in the Qing, the early development of Chinese nationalism, the roots of Chinese communism and alternatives to Mao, the early stages of the Great Leap Forward and of the Cultural Revolution. There is a new chapter at the end of the book on economic, cultural, and political developments since 1989. Praised as "a miracle of readability and scholarly authority," (Jonathan Mirsky) The Search for Modern China offers students a matchless introduction to China's history.
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Offering guidance to emperors, generals, and kings for millennia, the I Ching remains a powerful oracle today. However, many seekers find its symbolism and outdated metaphors a challenge to interpret. Mark McElroy strips away obscure references and reverently recasts the I Ching's ancient ideas into everyday terms, making it fast and easy to apply its enduring wisdom to contemporary life.
Neither a translation nor a paraphrased interpretation, I Ching for Beginners helps readers consult this remarkable Chinese classic with confidence. For each of the I Ching's sixty-four passages, McElroy provides a summary, study questions, and keywords, and explains how the message relates to relationships, love, work, and projects. Also included are directions for creating and interpreting hexagrams.
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Finally available in paperback, Ralph D. Sawyer's incomparable study of ancient Chinese warfare.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.
Safeguarded for centuries by the ruling elites of imperial China, even in modern times these writings have been known to only a handful of Western specialists. In this volume are seven separate essays, written between 500 B.C. and A.D. 700, that preserve the essential tenets of strategy distilled from the experience of the most brilliant warriors of ancient China.
This accurate translation remedies a serious gap in Western knowledge of Asian thought. Based on the best available classical Chinese manuscripts, some only recently discovered by archaeologists, The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China is a uniquely important contribution to the world's military literature and is essential reading for anyone interested in China's rich cultural heritage or in the timeless principles of successful warfare strategy.
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Jolan Chang explains how the ancient philosophy of Taoism can be applied to modern sex techniques. "I have learned by experience that the most effective way to secure sufficient love for both men and women is to show women how to influence men gently to become more adequate lovers."-Jolan Chang
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Matteo Ricci (1552-1616), an Italian Jesuit, entered China in 1583 to spread Catholicism in the largely Confucian country. In order to make a persuasive argument for the educated Chinese to abandon their traditional faith for the new one he was carrying, Ricci realized that he would have to prove the general superiority of Western culture. He did so by teaching young Confucian scholars tricks to increase their memory skills--an important advantage in a nation with countless laws and rituals that had to be learned by heart. Ricci attracted numerous students with this method; more important, Ricci came to have a sympathetic understanding for China that he communicated to Rome, and thence to the European nations at large. Spence's portrait of Ricci is a gem of historical writing. --Gregory MacNamee
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Often described as the eighth Wonder of the World, the massive, underground army made from fired clay evokes both awe and curiosity. Who was this powerful Emperor of the Qin Dynasty who needed these warriors to guard him in the afterlife? How were nearly 8,000 figures made on such a vast scale so long ago?
This lovely little book, based on the latest research, brings the terra cotta warriors to life in 52 astonishing images. Like the millions of visitors to the on-site museum who see the figures in person, readers will marvel at the cavalry, archers, and infantry; lowly foot soldiers and high-ranking officers; figures of varying ages, with different hairstyles and unique facial expressions, seemingly representing many ethnic groups in China.
The soldiers are spread across a number of pits at the tomb site, on the outskirts of present-day Xi’an, where new discoveries are made every year. Archaeologists predict that it may take longer to excavate the First Emperor’s tomb complex than the approximately thirty-six years it took to build it, as new techniques of conservation and scientific research are introduced. Though the tomb was known from Chinese written record for thousands of years, there was no record of the terra cotta army. The surprise of this discovery still endures, and mounts with each page turned.
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The Analects express a philosophy, or a moral code, by which Confucius, one of the most humane thinkers of all time, believed everyone should live. Upholding the ideals of wisdom, self-knowledge, courage and love of one's fellow man, he argued that the pursuit of virtue should be every individual's supreme goal. And, while following the Way, or the truth, might not result in immediate or material gain, Confucius showed that it could nevertheless bring its own powerful and lasting spiritual rewards.
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Confounding western medical science, Hong Liu has successfully treated ailments ranging from obesity to terminal cancer. He explains how he integrated eastern and western medicine, and shares the health-enhancing therapies used in China.
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In a brisk revisionist history, William Rowe challenges the standard narrative of Qing China as a decadent, inward-looking state that failed to keep pace with the modern West.
The Great Qing was the second major Chinese empire ruled by foreigners. Three strong Manchu emperors worked diligently to secure an alliance with the conquered Ming gentry, though many of their social edicts—especially the requirement that ethnic Han men wear queues—were fiercely resisted. As advocates of a “universal” empire, Qing rulers also achieved an enormous expansion of the Chinese realm over the course of three centuries, including the conquest and incorporation of Turkic and Tibetan peoples in the west, vast migration into the southwest, and the colonization of Taiwan.
Despite this geographic range and the accompanying social and economic complexity, the Qing ideal of “small government” worked well when outside threats were minimal. But the nineteenth-century Opium Wars forced China to become a player in a predatory international contest involving Western powers, while the devastating uprisings of the Taiping and Boxer rebellions signaled an urgent need for internal reform. Comprehensive state-mandated changes during the early twentieth century were not enough to hold back the nationalist tide of 1911, but they provided a new foundation for the Republican and Communist states that would follow.
This original, thought-provoking history of China’s last empire is a must-read for understanding the challenges facing China today.
(20091204)
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The Tang dynasty is often called China’s “golden age,” a period of commercial, religious, and cultural connections from Korea and Japan to the Persian Gulf, and a time of unsurpassed literary creativity. Mark Lewis captures a dynamic era in which the empire reached its greatest geographical extent under Chinese rule, painting and ceramic arts flourished, women played a major role both as rulers and in the economy, and China produced its finest lyric poets in Wang Wei, Li Bo, and Du Fu.
The Chinese engaged in extensive trade on sea and land. Merchants from Inner Asia settled in the capital, while Chinese entrepreneurs set off for the wider world, the beginning of a global diaspora. The emergence of an economically and culturally dominant south that was controlled from a northern capital set a pattern for the rest of Chinese imperial history. Poems celebrated the glories of the capital, meditated on individual loneliness in its midst, and described heroic young men and beautiful women who filled city streets and bars.
Despite the romantic aura attached to the Tang, it was not a time of unending peace. In 756, General An Lushan led a revolt that shook the country to its core, weakening the government to such a degree that by the early tenth century, regional warlordism gripped many areas, heralding the decline of the Great Tang.
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Being fertile and fruitful can mean giving birth to a child -- but to have a fertile soul means to give birth to the true self a woman wants to be: to live a life filled with passion, strength, joy, and adventure. In The Way of the Fertile Soul, Dr. Randine Lewis outlines ten ancient Chinese medical and Taoist "secrets" that hold the little-known key to successfully conceiving babies, new dreams, and a fulfilling life for women at any phase in their lives.The Way of the Fertile Soul encourages women to strive toward health, abundance, and a fruitful, joyous approach to life. By using diagnostic questionnaires, qi gong exercises, and guided meditations to help the reader understand how the elements of nature express themselves in her body, mind, and spirit, The Way of the Fertile Soul provides the tools to greatly increase a woman's chance of conceiving, identify imbalances, reduce stress, increase energy, and uncover her intrinsic creativity and express it fully.