China’s Later Dynasties picks up the thread of Chinese history from the first volume in this series and focuses upon each of the four later dynasties of imperial China – the Song, the Yuan, the Ming, and the Qing. Major topics include the origins and evolution of China’s highly efficient system of Civil Service, the “three perfections” (poetry, painting, and calligraphy), everyday life in the great cities of Kaifeng, Hangzhou, and Beijing, the travels of Marco Polo, the sea explorations, the significance of the garden, the evolution of the Chinese novel, the growing popularity of tea, and the clashes between eastern and western civilizations.

Table of Contents

1. Early Times: An Overview of Ancient China
2. The Northern Song Dynasty: The Rise of the Scholar-Officials
3. The Southern Song Dynasty: Civilization Moves South
4. The Yuan Dynasty: The Mongolian Interlude
5. The Ming Dynasty: The Tightening of Imperial Power
6. The Qing Dynasty: The Past Collides with the Future