Kindle
$15.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$29.50
Audio CD
$33.79
Buy new:
-9% $29.50
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$29.50 with 9 percent savings
List Price: $32.50

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 5 hrs 44 mins
In Stock
$$29.50 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$29.50
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$18.85
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
May contain library tags/book cover. Minimal signs of wear and ships direct from Amazon! May contain library tags/book cover. Minimal signs of wear and ships direct from Amazon! See less
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 8 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 10 hrs 59 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$29.50 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$29.50
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Michael Wood
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Story of China: The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream Hardcover – November 17, 2020

by Michael Wood (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 196 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$29.50","priceAmount":29.50,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"29","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"50","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"1EhhsP4vET7Cqt1FHF7a8bhnjA2DREOruWF317yeU%2BX%2FsnqRnH2v39TKAhf6naYMpA4h118cXfFzdyEGS2IZhnIThbwlQ8CXS5pIpzgjg8L2goXowwjzOSq%2Br6W1y042zYErAIBmaJU3obxdEgQ9KQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$18.85","priceAmount":18.85,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"18","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"85","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"1EhhsP4vET7Cqt1FHF7a8bhnjA2DREOrgTZ4iu1oLtVBfCtnGRKBnfR2vdf3oENB8cKqs4JBKuPmpN6rB3PVNzHDYQ0x1pSvXduLp553vvR9IjmuRnvs8gJzPa05PAQjiKtzhAyflSqvCET38F4ptC7sqW%2F71vaZH6ctB9%2Fn7KLS%2Bkw9Gc8h%2BmrST%2FxgukRv","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A single volume history of China, offering a look into the past of the global superpower and its significance today.

Michael Wood has travelled the length and breadth of China, the world’s oldest civilization and longest lasting state, to tell a thrilling story of intense drama, fabulous creativity, and deep humanity that stretches back thousands of years.

After a century and a half of foreign invasion, civil war, and revolution, China has once again returned to center stage as a global superpower and the world’s second largest economy. But how did it become so dominant? Wood argues that in order to comprehend the great significance of China today, we must begin with its history.

The Story of China takes a fresh look at the Middle Kingdom in the light of the recent massive changes inside the country. Taking into account exciting new archeological discoveries, the book begins with China’s prehistory―the early dynasties, the origins of the Chinese state, and the roots of Chinese culture in the age of Confucius. Wood looks at particular periods and themes that are now being reevaluated by historians, such as the renaissance of the Song with its brilliant scientific discoveries. He paints a vibrant picture of the Qing Empire in the 18th century, just before the European impact, a time when China’s rich and diverse culture was at its height. Then, Wood explores the encounter with the West, the Opium Wars, the clashes with the British, and the extraordinarily rich debates in the late 19th century that pushed China along the path to modernity.

Finally, he provides a clear up-to-date account of post-1949 China, including revelations about the 1989 crisis based on newly leaked inside documents, and fresh insights into the new order of President Xi Jinping. All woven together with landscape history and the author’s own travel journals, The Story of China is the indispensable book about the most intriguing and powerful country on the world stage today.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    624 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Press
  4. Publication date
    November 17, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    6.44 x 1.97 x 9.42 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1250202574
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250202574
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Story of China: The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream
$29.50
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Shortest History of China: From the Ancient Dynasties to a Modern Superpower―A Retelling for Our Times
$10.55
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
China: A History
$16.79
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Deeply researched and energetically written, this immersive account is a worthy introduction to the vast sweep of Chinese history and culture." ―Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Michael Wood is a historian, filmmaker, and broadcaster who has written several bestselling books and made well over one hundred documentary films which are regularly seen on PBS. Some of these book-and-documentary projects include In Search of the Dark Ages, In Search of the Trojan War, and In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great. A Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester, he is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, the Royal Historical Society, and the Society of Antiquaries. He recently received the British Academy President’s Medal for services to history and outreach.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press (November 17, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250202574
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250202574
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.94 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.44 x 1.97 x 9.42 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 196 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Michael Wood

Michael Wood

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
196 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mustafa Aydin
5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable Storytelling
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
A unique perspective into Chinese history. Where the reader is able to see multiple aspects of Chinese history from the memories and writings of people from different parts of society. Truly an eye opening book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Mary Simkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
A very good overview of Chinese history, it's people, rulers Nand relationships with the rest of the world. I love Ichae Woods work. I have read many of his books and seen some of his documentaries. Always well done, understandable and informative.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A vivid book of Chinese history mostly free from Orientalism, but not unbiased
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
As a Chinese citizen who is reading this book, here's what I want to say:

This is indeed a very vivid if not comprehensive book about Chinese history, mostly free from Orientalist cliché. It's clearly aimed at a general Western audience with little to no knowledge about Chinese history.

However, while free from Orientalist cliché, the author does not shy from Western Liberalism cliché, especially in his reading of Chinese history since the Ming Dynasty.

Unsubstantiated, he makes the indication that Song Dynasty somehow was more 'Liberal' than the subsequent Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. He also points to several Late Ming neo-Confucian scholars such as Huang Zongxi as Chinese predecessor of Western democracy. This is indeed, a popular attempt to somehow link traditional Asian thought with Western Liberalism, not the least made by some modern Chinese liberals. Scholars like Huang Zongxi might be against monarchial absolutism, but it's too far-fetched to say that his ideas are similar to Western Liberalism.

So here's the issue. If you really want to understand modern China, keep in mind that China is fundamentally a Marxist-Leninist state. Traditional China has its value, but modern PRC Chinese are happy to crash any tradition if it is at odds with the progress of the level of productivity and technology, in accordance with the Marxist view. Modern Chinese view Liberalism not from a lens of the traditional Chinese Confucian scholar (despite what some oversea Chinese might tell you, because Marxism-Leninism has a bad name in the West so they don't want to be associated with it.), but from a Marxist-Leninist of view. The CPC is a Marxist-Leninist party at its core.

The modern West gets China wrong not because it doesn't understand Chinese history, but because contemporary modern Western scholarship is so averse to Marxism-Leninism that virtually no scholar in the West now truly understand it. (If you hate something so much that demonizing it is a necessity, it's impossible to learn the reality about it.) Modern China is a deeply 'Westernized' country, just not in the sense of Western Liberalism, which only dominates the West for just a few decades since the 1980s. Chinese thought is not just Confucianism; Western thought is not just Liberalism either.
159 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
KK
5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Read on the History of China
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
Great book that is definitely not another generic narrative of the many dynasties. Although I would have loved for the author to include more insights on the complexities and intrigues of the Warring States Period and (especially) the Three Kingdoms Period, the insights from the common folk living in these various dynasties, their daily lives and perspectives were very refreshing. A very recommendable book for those familiar and unfamiliar with the history of China.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Book condition as described
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
The book was very well packed.
Received in excellent condition.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth it!
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
Super engaging read! Michael Wood is a masterful story teller!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Maria-Anne
4.0 out of 5 stars This might want you the check out the PBS documentary with the same name.
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2020
Anybody that is interested in the history in China this is definitely a book for you, it might be a bit too much detail for the general public but even then a lot of people might like getting tidbits of new information. Just take your time and enjoy. It’s not a book to hurry through. I visited China for a month about 20 years ago and reading about the various places brought back the memories of the trip. Most of the books I have read so far where for the 50 years following World War II and so it was great to get a better overview over the centuries. The author explains the rise and fall of the various dynasties. I always knew China had a very interesting history and reading this book endorsed that point.
I took a while to get into it because the first part of the book does a bit of jumping around and I felt like getting information overload. After that I enjoyed it more. Not an easy task to pack 4000 years of history into 600+ pages. Wood makes clear the different stages of the history of China.
I would have given the book a five star but I felt that the book could have used clearer breaks to make it easier for the reader
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
JLA
5.0 out of 5 stars Book arrived as described.
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
Thanks.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
MARIA C. MA
5.0 out of 5 stars Another EPIC BOOK!!
Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
The author described the history perfect, easy to follow and enrich my history knowledge of my ancestry!!!
Report
Cliente Kindle
1.0 out of 5 stars The Story of China: The epucbhistory
Reviewed in Brazil on September 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
Não me agradou, texto.muito cansativo
Report
SimonJ
5.0 out of 5 stars quiet
Reviewed in Germany on July 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
just a perfect alarm clock
Report
Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Wood never disappoints.
Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
A travellogue throughout four millenia of China and it's peoples in it's many convolutions, revolutions and evolutions as still; one nation.
Customer image
Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Wood never disappoints.
Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2023
A travellogue throughout four millenia of China and it's peoples in it's many convolutions, revolutions and evolutions as still; one nation.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
Report
John Doyle
4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for those who want to know about Chinese history
Reviewed in Canada on October 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book was very good. I have many Chinese friends and I grew up in a time when what happened in China was largely unknown, before it opened up in the 70s. The breadth of the description of the development of Chinese culture is huge. The only criticism is that it sometimes ignores developments that happened outside of the Chinese context, like the development of Hong Kong as a separate entity. This may be because it is written totally from the perspective of China, not from outsiders' perspectives. It covers the development of the Chinese language very well, which was very interesting for me.
Report