The Story of China: A portrait of a civilisation and its people Paperback – 5 Aug. 2021

Incredible book, well written, deeply insightful and fascinating. Great if you know little about China and Chinese history. Definitely would recommend. Deals with controversial points in Chinese history objectively and even-handedly.Only issue probably is sometimes the author rambles on too much about some obscure story when you, as the reader, just want to focus on the history itself. But more often than not, the author’s ‘rambles’ are quite important and insightful into understanding the context of events.

Broad, yet detailed, littered with truly human observations of people who were there, this was a delight from start to finish.

It was a very enjoyable read and was more a tribute to Chinas long and fascinating history - It was a little sugar coated in places. Stories of individuals and the perspectives of writers of the time did help add a human touch to the timeline.I would however recommend this to be read in addition to other writings on Chinese history which then I think would make it a more enjoyable read. I felt it did leave out some important aspects such as the role of the Dowager Cixi in the late Qing who was only briefly mentioned. And I felt the chapter from 1911 to 1976 was incorrectly lumped together - Republican China was skimmed over and put in with Mao's China which were very distinct periods of modern Chinese history.The last chapter about the new China was generally well written however. A nice takeaway from this book is a new found appreciation of what some individuals like poets and writers said about their time which were often quite profound and many have parallels with today.

Travel to China, fascinating country.I wanted to read about its history and this book is very comprehensive'sGreatly recommended.

I bought this to give me the prehistoric and historic background to current affairs. 4000 years in just 539 pages is always going to be an abbreviation, but Michael Woods is an excellent writer and has a knack of weaving personal lives into political events that gives a much more human perspective on the subject he is dealing with. I now know a lot more about the land, environment, and natural disasters of enormous scale that have shaped the people, and how Confucian thought has underpinned Chinese Society until recent times. Worryingly I realise how much of their momentous modern history washed over me hardly unheeded during my childhood and I don't belive I was ever told that Chinese workers were sent to help the allies in the 1st World War. Definitely a book to be kept and reread. Considering how large a population and economy China has this is a topic we should all know more about.My only regret is that I should probably have bought the hard back edition as the maps (so helpful) would have been easier to read.

I am only a quarter of my way through this book and I am almost overwhelmed by the excellent way in which the author can cover centuries of history in a chapter yet still give an insight into the achievements and weaknesses of each period with main characters brought to life. There are so many lessons for the present day that will generate concerns as to the future of our country, the world, our children. An important book that needs to be read not just to understand China but also for anyone interested in politics. I will buy this book for each of my children and recommend to friends.

A great starting point for the history of China but is designed to be brief. It covers the whole of China's history and so cannot give any real detail.

A brilliant, vivid and fully animated portrait of Chinese civilisation, its entirely unique character and way of life as it evolved across the millennia.Not only does Wood describe the past events that shaped the present and the future of China, but he weaves them into the Chinese psyche and explains how the history, philosophy, spirituality and mentality of the Chinese people has led them to create the most enduring, if idiosyncratic, world that does not submit or conform to our Western templates.