Table of Contents

Introduction; 96 Lives in four chronological sections, each with a brief historical introduction: 1. The Shang to Han dynasties (c. 16th century bc to AD 220); 2. The period of disunion to the Sui, Tang dynasties (220–907); 3. The period of disunion to the Yuan dynasty (907–1386); 4. The Ming dynasty to the People’s Republic of China (1368 to the present)

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The perfect introduction to China’s long history, using the extraordinary lifestories of the men and women who helped shape its past

About the Author

Victor Mair is Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Pennysylvania. His numerous publications include The True History of Tea and The Tarim Mummies, both published by Thames & Hudson.

Sanping Chen is an auhority on Chinese culture and history.

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"