Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or peop≤ China defines itself in terms of history. With the world's longest tradition of history-writing, its extraordinary past ought to be common knowledge. China , by the eminent historian John Keay, should make it so.

Informed by the latest research and enlivened by wit and anecdote, Keay's narrative spans 5,000 years, from the Three Dynasties (2000-220 BC) to Deng Xiaoping's opening of China and the past three decades of economic growth. Broadly chronological, the book presents a history of all the Chinas--including regions (Yunnan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria) that account for two-thirds of the People's Republic of China land mass but which barely feature in its conventional history.

Crisp, judicious, and engaging, China is destined to become the classic single-volume history for anyone seeking to understand the past, present, and future of this immensely powerful nation.