The Chinese empire lasted from the 3rd century BC at the time of the Roman Republic until the 20th century. In 221 BC, the victorious king of one of the early Chinese states declared himself First Emperor; in 1911,the last emperor was overthrown and replaced by a republic. The empire inherited some 1,500 years of pre-imperial historically recorded states,stretching back to the time of the Minoan civilization of the 2nd millennium BC. For virtually the entire period of recorded European history there was thus a Chinese emperor on the throne.

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Contents include:

Biographical accounts of all the emperors, from Qin Shihuangdi, the great 'First Emperor', to Puyi,the 4-year-old last emperor; giving a history of these fascinating individuals from great warriors and scholars to villainous debauchees

Timelines throughout with at-a-glance visual guides to the length and important events of each emperor's reign

Datafiles for every emperor listing key ;nformation, such as name at birth, wives and concubines, temple nan>e, and location of tomb Extensive quotations from contemporary sources that enrich the narrative

Numerous sidebars and special features ranging from the Great Walt of China to the Opium War With 368 illustrations, 126 in colour, including portraits of the emperors, art treasures from imperial tombs and detailed maps

Preface

Introduction

Map of Imperial China

THE EARLY EMPIRES

 221 BC-AD 220

 Special Features

 The Great Wall

 The Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of China

 Western Han Tombs

 Stone Sculpture

 The Silk Roads

 Tomb Figurines

CONFUSION, REUNIFICATION AND THE GOLDEN AGE

 AD 220-907

 Special Features

 Buddhism

 The Northern Dynasties

 The Grand Canal

 Horses

 Tang Mausolea

 Chang'an

 Buddhist Art and Architecture

CHAOS, DIPLOMACY AND INVASION

 Special Features

 Northern Song Imperial Tombs

 Song Painting

 The Mongols

REVIVAL AND COLLAPSE

 AD 1368-1911

 Special Features

 The Forbidden City in Beijing

 Maritime Expeditions

 The Temple of Heaven

 The Ming Tombs

 Jesuits in China

 Ming Porcelain

 The Jesuits and the Summer Palace

 Commercial Trade and Expansion

 Macartney's Embassy

 The Opium War

 The Boxer Rebellion

Select Bibliography

Illustration and Text Credits

Index