Imperial China

Peter Lorge is Associate Professor of Asian Studies at Vanderbilt University. He is a historian of tenth- and eleventh-century China, with a particular interest in Chinese military, political and social history. His previous books include Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century and The Asian Military Revolution.

‘In short, fast-paced chapters, Peter Lorge provides a fresh look at key elements of China’s imperial past. He invites the reader to ponder what we mean by “China”, how to understand “dynasty”, and whether sources written in literary Chinese overstate unity and continuity and underplay law, the military, and openness to new ideas.’

• MapA Timeline of the Dynasties of Imperial China Introduction Before the Imperial AgeImperial ChinaMaster Kong, the Ru, and ConfuciusLanguageConclusion 1 FoundationsThe Imperial StateLaw and Morality in RealityConclusion 2 Dynasties SimilaritiesDifferencesThe Other DynastiesConclusion 3 Borders GeographyMacroregionsLocalitiesConclusion 4 War and the Military Military Technology, Society, and PoliticsOrganizationGunsMilitary ThoughtConclusion 5 DiscoveryThe Four Great InventionsOther TechnologyContact and ExplorationConclusion 6 Religions Popular ReligionRuism (Confucianism)BuddhismDaoismConclusion 7 The Imperial EconomyThe StateMoneyMarketsConclusion 8 The Arts: Literature, Calligraphy, Painting, and Architecture LiteraturePoetryProse CalligraphyPaintingArchitectureConclusion 9 Popular Arts and CultureDecorative ArtsGardensPublic Performance and TheatrePopular LiteratureConclusion 10 Constructing China Through History Sima Qian (c.145/135–c.86 BCE) and The Records of the Grand HistorianBan Gu (32–92) and The History of the Han (Hanshu)History Writing in the Tang DynastyHistory Writing in the Song DynastyConclusion 11 The End of Imperial China?Imperial HistoryDiversityUnityConclusion AcknowledgmentsFurther ReadingIndex