A Comprehensive History of China, 12 Volumes, 22 Books

Author: Bai Shouyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: A Comprehensive History of China is guided by the materialist conception of history, combining the actual process of Chinese history. Based on in-depth research, it creatively proposes some very important theoretical insights on the development of Chinese history. These insights are woven throughout the entire work, with a systematic and thorough elaboration in the Introduction volume. The Introduction consists of nine chapters, addressing the following issues: the history of a unified multi-ethnic nation; geographical conditions for historical development; the role of human factors, science and technology, and social productivity; production relations and class relations; the state and law; social ideology; historical theory and historical documents; historical writing styles and historical literature; China and the world. Regarding these theoretical issues, the Introduction volume is guided by the fundamental principles of the materialist conception of history, summarizing and elaborating them based on the development of Chinese history and Chinese historiography. The Introduction volume emphasizes theory without straying from historical facts, using historical facts to elevate discussions to a theoretical level. Therefore, it is easy to understand and highly enlightening. A Comprehensive History of China covers various aspects such as economy, politics, ethnicity, military, culture, China's relations with the outside world, and historical figures, with substantial historical materials, giving readers a sense of depth and gravitas. It is particularly noteworthy that it elaborates on the history of each ethnic minority within the broader context of Chinese historical development, fully recognizing their important position in the latter and the historical achievements of their joint creation of Chinese civilization. It also combines science and technology with the development of productive forces, reflecting the significant role of science and technology in advancing productive force development. It presents vivid and engaging portraits of figures from each historical period from the pre-Qin era to the modern era, making Chinese history more dynamic and captivating for readers. For example, the biographical section of the 12th volume, Post-Modern Era, includes biographies of over 50 individuals. As for the accuracy of the materials, each volume stands out, with distinct characteristics. Taking the 8th volume, Yuan Dynasty, as an example, its Preface section consists of eight chapters in order: Chinese-language materials; Mongolian, Tibetan, and Uyghur-language materials; foreign materials (including Persian-language materials, Arabic historical records, European-language materials, Armenian-language materials, Syriac-language materials, Russian and Japanese-language materials); Yuan Dynasty studies from the Ming and Qing dynasties; advancements in Yuan Dynasty research after the 1920s; Yuan Dynasty studies since the founding of the People's Republic of China; foreign Yuan Dynasty studies; the purpose of this book's compilation. This 240-page literature overview is sufficient to demonstrate the solid historical foundation of this book's compilation. Some scholars, after reading it, were highly impressed. A Comprehensive History of China holds significant academic and social value, which we can at least evaluate from two aspects: the evaluation of politicians and the evaluation of historians.