Foreword Kwang-Ching Liu

Preface

Acknowledgements

1. The origins of Chinese civilization: Neolithic period to the western Zhou dynasty (animal and human imagery in bronze vessels)

2. Philosophical foundations: the eastern Zhou period

3. The creation of the bureaucratic empire: the Qin and Han dynasties

4. Buddhism, aristocracy, and alien rulers: the age of division (early Buddhist art)

5. A cosmopolitan empire: the Tang dynasty

6. Shifting south: the Song dynasty (landscape painting)

7. Alien rule: the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties (drama and the performing arts)

8. The limits of autocracy: the Ming dynasty (the kilns at Jingdezhen)

9. Manchus and imperialism: the Qing dynasty (working for a living)

10. Taking action: the early twentieth century (modern Chinese painting)

11. Radical reunification: the People's Republic

Epilogue

Chronology

Picture acknowledgements

Notes

Further reading