"A great way to learn about China's vast history!"
—Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club
"Excels at clarifying the often-confusing transitional periods between dynasties… An excellent introduction to the large trends of early Chinese history.”
—School Library Journal
"Combines breezy style with historical rigor to strike just the right gong-tone for a middle school audience approaching the vast scope of Chinese history."
—Education About Asia
5/5 Stars "An invaluable source... Chinese history is a vast subject, but Jing Liu has a skillful ability to condense it all into an interesting and manageable narrative."
—Kids' Book Buzz
"The combination of silhouettes—often threatening, martial ones—with open-faced, expressively individualized figures of many social classes adds dramatic tension while neatly balancing the big-picture narrative. There's a lot to absorb even in this abbreviated form, but the visual approach lightens the load considerably."
—Kirkus Reviews
TEACHER AND PROFESSOR TESTIMONIALS
"This book is “The Magic School Bus” for those starting to explore Chinese culture."
—Dan Cao, Instructor at Confucius Institute at UC Davis
"An excellent history that clearly explains the great (and ordinary) people who have made China what it is and the conflicts and debates that have shaped Chinese history. There is nothing else like it in English or Chinese."
—Alan Baumler, Professor of History at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
"No more burying yourself in text-heavy history books to learn about China, this comic-style book manages to be rich in information and bring Chinese history to readers in a more clear, fun, and accessible way than it’s ever been done before. Easily integrated into a social studies or Chinese culture curriculum, I can’t wait to get a copy for my class."
—Grace Zeng, Chinese Teacher and Middle School Chinese Curriculum Area Leader at International School of Beijing
"Since the 1990s, Jing Liu has been entertaining and informing foreigners about China with his cartoons. His new series of comic books is a fun, easy, accessible way to gain a basic understanding of Chinese history and culture."
—Jeremy Goldkorn, Founder of Danwei
"This comic series is fantastic to use in the classroom. My students are drawn to this book - not only do they enjoy this graphic-novel style, it also helps them understand difficult historical concepts. What a fun supplement to the regular textbook!"
—Leslie Burgoine, Middle School History Teacher, Portland, Oregon
05/15/2016
In 1907, an American missionary in China named Arthur Smith lamented that "Chinese history is remote, it is monotonous, obscure and worse than all there is far too much of it." Fortunately, today the graphic nonfiction format provides an accessible way to introduce and explain unfamiliar material, a goal ably met here by Liu (managing director, Moli Design). First self-published in 2011, then revised and expanded in 2014, this retitled mass-market edition is the first volume of Liu's four-book series. Augmenting simple and effective black-and-white cartoons with maps and charts, the work provides an overview of the rise and fall of China's early dynasties from the perspectives of both the rulers and the ruled, including the origins of the Great Wall and the Silk Road trading route. Along with his accounts of political, military, and economic conflicts, Liu concisely explains various schools of Chinese philosophical thought and incorporates occasional personal narratives, including the lives of Confucius and of Cai Lun, the inventor of paper. VERDICT This direct, appealing introduction to the foundations of one of the world's oldest civilizations is recommended for teens and adults.—SR
06/01/2016
Gr 5 Up—This new, revised edition will help bring this award-winning series, which was originally independently published, to a much wider audience. After an introduction, which covers the major dynasties, how they rose and fell, and geography, the author provides a brief overview of the Yellow Emperor and Xia Dynasty before launching into an exploration of the Shang Dynasty (1600–1050 BCE). Liu then examines the Zhou (1046–256 BCE), Qin (221–206 BCE), and Han (202 BCE–220 CE) dynasties. The uncluttered black-and-white cartoon drawings, coupled with clear and concise explanations, are an excellent primer to early Chinese history. Focusing on broad trends, political philosophy, and the causes of each dynasty's rise and fall, this broad work is easy to understand but never oversimplified. Interested readers have a great jumping-off point for exploring more in-depth materials. Liu especially excels at clarifying the often-confusing transitional periods between dynasties. VERDICT An excellent introduction to the large trends of early Chinese history; ideal for those new to the subject.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA
