100 People Who Influenced China (Revised Edition)

Author: Zhang Xiuping, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The "China 100 Series" is a unique read distinct from general historical works. It takes the figures, events, wars, works, and culture of Chinese history as its main threads, narrating 100 individuals who contributed to the development and innovation of Chinese history, academic culture, and Sino-foreign relations; 100 events that occurred during the transitions of various dynasties, the conflicts of academic schools, the rise and fall of religious histories, and major historical turning points; 100 wars fought for unity, justice, hegemony, or power struggles; 100 classical works that meticulously and systematically record China's millennia of scientific and cultural history; and 100 brilliant academic, literary, folk, and material cultures that stand tall among the world's civilizations, summarizing the essence of Chinese history (before 1919).
In 100 People Who Influenced China, it lists emperors such as Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Wu Zetian, Emperor Taizu of Song, Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Genghis Khan, and Kangxi; thinkers like Laozi, Confucius, Mozi, Zhuangzi, and Xunzi; statesmen and generals such as the Duke of Zhou, Zhuge Liang, Bao Zheng, Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi, Yue Fei, and Lin Zexu; renowned scientists and medical figures like Bian Que, Zhang Heng, Cai Lun, Zhang Zhongjing, Zu Chongzhi, and Li Shizhen; famous historians, writers, artists, and travelers such as Qu Yuan, Sima Qian, Ban Gu, Wang Xizhi, Li Bai, Du Fu, Sima Guang, and Cao Xueqin; peasant uprising leaders like Chen Sheng, Xiang Yu, Huang Chao, Li Zicheng, and Hong Xiuquan; pioneers in ethnic relations and Sino-foreign exchanges such as Zhang Qian, Ban Chao, Xuanzang, Jianzhen, and Princess Wencheng; and military strategists like Sun Wu and Sun Bin.
"Man is the subject of social practice, and history is merely the activity of those pursuing their own goals." The 100 individuals listed in this book are ordinary people, some of whom emerged from the tides of history, while others were forged through hardship, but all played a role—great or small—in shaping Chinese history. This acknowledges the role of individuals in the development of Chinese history. By describing their words, actions, and personalities, their spirits, characters, thoughts, temperaments, emotions, desires, and hobbies, this book fulfills the sacred duty of historians.
The descriptions of these figures in this book primarily focus on their most significant contributions to Chinese history, narrating their deeds with a blend of historical analysis and creative insight—"," offering a fresh perspective. Readers may also rank these individuals based on their own subjective judgments and objective criteria for evaluating historical figures.