Item Detail

Surveys Chinese history, culture, and art, looks at important leaders and philosophers, and discusses Western reactions with China

Before, during, and after a trip to China in 1984, Huntington looked for a readable and reliable handbook with which to organize her traveler's impressions. She didn't find one she liked, so she decided to write one herself. The book is a precis of Chinese history, with emphasis on colorful personalities on which to hang all those dates and dynasties. There are a number of simple maps, chronologies, and appendixes on geography, art, places to visit, and recommended reading. Though not likely to impress historians, this might be a useful supplement for a library that already has a reasonable general collection. It does, however, serve much the same purpose as W. Scott Morton's China: its history and culture ( LJ 9/1/80). Charles W. Hayford, Ctr. for Far Eastern Studies, Univ. of Chicago Copyright 1987 Cahners Business Information.