Chinese Lives: The People Who Made a Civilization

by Victor H. Mair, Sanping Chen, Frances Wood

Overview

3000 years of Chinese history presented through the lives of ninety-six illustrious participants from all periods and all parts of the country

China is the most populous country on earth, with the longest history of any modern nation. Here, the full range of Chinese cultural and scientific achievements, as well as its military conquests, wars, rebellions, and political and philosophical movements, are told through the eyes of real people who created or were involved in them. 

The subjects include emperors and empresses, concubines, officials and political figures, rebels, exiles, philosophers, writers and poets, artists, musicians, scientists, military leaders, and committed pacifists. From Fu Hao, an early warrior lady of the thirteenth century BC, to the late twentieth-century leader Deng Xiaoping, their careers, achievements, misdeeds, disasters, punishments, ideas and love stories make this an unforgettable read. 

Illustrated with portraits, paintings, written documents, bronzes, sculptures, and location maps, and written in an authoritative yet accessible style, Chinese Lives provides the perfect introduction to China’s history and her peoples.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500771471
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	08/14/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Victor H. Mair is Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of many books including The True History of Tea and The Tarim Mummies.
Sanping Chen articles have appeared in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, the Journal of the American Oriental Society, and others. He lives in Canada.
Frances Wood is head of the Chinese Collections at the British Library.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Lives 8

The Shang to Han dynasties, c. 16th century BC to AD 220 16

1 Fu Hao: Late 13th Century BC 18

2 Duke of Zhou: FL. 1042 BC 19

3 Wife of Mang: C. 7th Century BC 20

4 Confucius: 551/2-479 BC 22

5 Mo ZI: FL. C. 480-390 BC 25

6 Shang Yang: C. 390-338 BC 26

7 Sun Bin: Early 4th Century BC 28

8 Zhuang ZI: 4th-3rd Century BC 30

9 King Wuling of the Zhao: D. 295 BC 32

10 Lü Buwei: C. 284-235 BC 33

11 Qin Shihuangdi: 259-210 BC 34

12 Xiang Yu: 232-203 BC 37

13 Emperor Wu of the Han: 156-87 BC 39

14 Zhang Qian: ?-114 BC 41

15 Sima Qian: C. 145/135-After 90 BC 43

16 Wang Mang: 45 BC-AD 23 45

17 The Ban Family: 1st Century AD 47

18 Wang Chong: 27-89/104 49

19 & 20 Zhang Daoling and Zhang Jiao: 2nd Century AD 50

21 Cao Cao: 155-220 52

22 Cai Yan: C. 177-? 53

The period of disunion to the Sui and Tang dynasties, 220-907 56

23 Zhuge Liang: 181-234 58

24 Shi Chong: 249-300 59

25 Wang Yan: 256-311 61

26 Shi Le: 274-333 62

27 Wang Xizhi: c. 303-61 64

28 Kumarajiva: c. 344-413 67

29 Tao Yuanming: 365-427 68

30 Tuoba Gui: 371-409 70

31 Cui Hao: ?-450 72

32 Emperor Wu: 464-549 73

33 Emperor Yang: 569-618 74

34 Emperor Taizong: 599-649 76

35 Xuanzang: 600-64 79

36 Wu Zetian: 624-705 80

37 Gao Xianzhi: ?-756 83

38 An Lushan: c. 703-57 84

39 & 40 Li Bai and Du Fu: 701-62 and 712-70 87

41 Yang Guifei: 719-56 89

42 Bai Juyi: 772-846 91

43 Xue Tao: 770s-832 93

44 Li Deyu: 787-850 94

45 Huang Chao: ?-884 96

The period of disunion to the Yuan dynasty, 907-1368 98

46 Abaoji: 872-962 100

47 Li Cunxu: 885-926 101

48 Emperor Taizu: 927-76 102

49 Wang Anshi: 1021-86 105

50 Shen Gua: 1032-c. 1096 107

51 Su Dongpo: 1037-1101 110

52 Fang La: ?-1121 112

53 Emperor Huizong: 1082-1135 115

54 Li Qingzhao: 1084-? 117

55 Yue Fei: 1103-42 119

56 Zhang Zeduan: Early 12th Century 121

57 Zhu Xi: 1130-1200 123

58 Ma Yuan: FL. c. 1190-1225 125

59 Qiu Chuji: c. 1157-1227 128

60 Yuan Haowen: 1190-1257 130

61 Khubilai Khan: 1215-94 131

62 Guan Hanqing: FL. c. 1240-1300 134

63 'Phags-Pa: 1235-80 136

64 Toghto: 1312-56 138

The Ming dynasty to the People's Republic of China, 1368-present 140

65 The Hongwu Emperor: 1328-98 142

66 Zheng He: 1371-1433 145

67 Wang Yangming: 1472-1529 147

68 Hai Rui: 1514-87 149

69 Li Shizhen: 1518-93 151

70 Zhang Juzheng: 1525-82 153

71 Nurhaci: 1559-1626 154

72 Xu Xiake: 1587-1641 157

73 Wei Zhongxian: 1568-1627 159

74 Feng Menglong: 1574-1646 161

75 Zhang Xianzhong: 1606-46 163

76 Wu Sangui: 1612-78 166

77 Gu Yanwu: 1613-82 167

78 Zhu Da: c. 1626-c. 1705 169

79 Pu Songling: 1640-1715 170

80 The Kangxi Emperor: 1654-1722 173

81 Zeng Jing: 1679-1736 175

82 Cao Xueqin: 1715?-63 177

83 The Qianlong Emperor: 1711-99 181

84 Heshen: 1750-99 183

85 Lin Zexu: 1785-1850 184

86 Wang Duan: 1793-1839 187

87 Sengge Rinchen: 1811-65 189

88 Hong Xiuquan: 1814-64 190

89 Empress-Dowager Cixi: 1835-1908 194

90 Qiu Jin: c. 1875-1907 197

91 Sun Yat-Sen: 1866-1925 200

92 Lu Xun: 1881-1936 202

93 Chiang Kai-Shek: 1887-1975 205

94 Hu Shi: 1891-1962 208

95 Mao Zedong: 1893-1976 211

96 Deng Xiaoping: 1904-97 215

Note on spelling/transcription 218

Pronunciation guide 219

Further reading 220

Acknowledgments 225

Sources of quotations 226

Sources of illustrations 227

Index 228

Editorial Reviews

"Besides emperors, generals, and leading scholars, the authors include lesser-known figures . . . help[ing] the reader understand ancient China as a multiethnic, open empire, in which people with different ethnic backgrounds contributed to each other and, in turn, to the common ‘Chinese’ culture."

The Historian