J. A. G. ROBERTS is Visiting Research Fellow in History at the University of Huddersfield, UK. He has taught and written extensively on the histories of China and Japan and has a special interest in Western perceptions of Chinese and Japanese society.

Praise for the second edition: 'An excellent book. Roberts' account of China over the last few years is fair, balanced, perceptive and comprehensive.' - Colin Mackerras, Griffith University, Australia Praise for the third edition: 'A worthy successor to Roberts' earlier editions. This third edition brings the account up to the immediate present and continues to have the strength of integrating the insights of very recent scholarship on all periods of Chinese history.' - Anthony DeBlasi, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of East Asian Studies, University at Albany, USA

• List of MapsPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionMapsThe Prehistory and Early History of ChinaFrom the Period of Division to the Tang DynastyThe Song and Yuan DynastiesThe Early Modern Period: The Ming and the Early QingChina in the Late QingRepublican China, 1911-49Revolutionary China, 1949-76From the Era of Deng Xiaoping to the Present DayNotesChronologyFurther ReadingIndex.