A Brief History of Ancient China (Second Edition)

张帆Peking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

Rating 4.2
Word count
356K words
Chapters
81
ISBN
9787301262634

Tags

Examinations Institutional ChangeGeneral HistoryPeriodic FeaturesHistoriographySource StudyAcademic TextbookHumanities CoursePolitical EvolutionDynastic ChangesEthnic Relations

Summary

This textbook, commissioned by the Ministry of Education under the Ninth Five-Year Plan, compresses the general history of China into a single semester of coursework. It emphasizes integrated understanding alongside period-specific knowledge, incorporates the latest research and the author's own historical insights, and balances systematic coverage with readability. While following the dynastic sequence as its main thread, it highlights the internal stages and characteristics of historical development, paying attention to the distinct positions of the Central Plains dynasties and minority regimes in the historical process. Since its publication over a decade ago, it has been well received by undergraduate humanities students and by those taking general education courses. The author has now made revisions for greater convenience in teaching.

Editor's review

As a Ministry of Education–commissioned textbook, this book compresses the general history of China into a single semester, structured primarily by dynastic sequence while emphasizing the internal stages and characteristics of historical development. It balances period-specific knowledge with integrated understanding. Its strength lies in not being confined to dynastic succession but in guiding readers to see long-term structural changes and to recognize the distinct historical positions of Central Plains dynasties and minority regimes, incorporating relatively recent research and the author's historical insights. The second edition has been revised for easier classroom use. For undergraduate humanities students and those in general education courses, this is a reader that builds a systematic historical framework within limited class hours; self-learners can also use it to clarify the main threads before delving into period-specific histories as interest dictates.

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Reading tips

  1. First read the table of contents and each chapter's introduction to build an overall map of dynastic sequence and period characteristics
  2. As you proceed by dynasty, note connections across periods and pay attention to long-term changes in institutions and social structure
  3. After each chapter, summarize the period's defining characteristics in a few sentences to test integrated understanding
  4. Seek specialized monographs for periods of interest—use the textbook as a skeleton and monographs as supplements

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 第一章 早期华夏文明的形成
  3. 一 史前考古发现与古史传说
  4. 二 早期国家：夏与商
  5. 三 商朝甲骨文与青铜文化
  6. 第二章 西周与春秋
  7. 一 西周的兴亡
  8. 二 周朝典制
  9. 三 春秋历史概况
  10. 第三章 战国时期的社会变动
  11. 一 政治形势的变化：割据、兼并、统一
  12. 二 各国变法运动
  13. 三 士阶层的崛起与百家争鸣
  14. 第四章 统一的君主专制帝国——秦
  15. 一 法家思想与秦的立国
  16. 二 巩固统一的各项措施
  17. 三 秦的暴政和速亡
  18. 第五章 西汉前、中期政治：从黄老无为到“霸王道杂之”
  19. 一 黄老无为思想与西汉前期政治
  20. 二 汉武帝的功业
  21. 三 独尊儒术与“霸王道杂之”
  22. 第六章 王莽改制与东汉兴衰
  23. 一 王莽改制
  24. 二 东汉政治述略
  25. 第七章 政治分裂的魏晋南北朝（上）
  26. 一 三国鼎立
  27. 二 西晋的短暂统一
  28. 三 东晋的偏安之局
  29. 第八章 政治分裂的魏晋南北朝（下）
  30. 一 十六国的割据
  31. 二 北朝概况
  32. 三 南朝概况
  33. 第九章 两汉魏晋南北朝时期的经济、社会与文化
  34. 一 两汉魏晋南北朝时期的经济与社会
  35. 二 两汉魏晋南北朝时期的文化
  36. 第十章 隋朝与唐前期的鼎盛局面
  37. 一 隋朝的兴亡
  38. 二 从贞观之治到开元盛世
  39. 三 隋唐制度
  40. 第十一章 割据倾向的再现：从安史之乱到五代十国
  41. 一 安史之乱与藩镇割据
  42. 二 安史乱后的唐朝中央
  43. 三 五代十国
  44. 第十二章 北宋变法
  45. 一 宋初“防弊”之政及其新弊
  46. 二 王安石变法
  47. 第十三章 两宋与辽、夏、金、蒙的对峙
  48. 一 辽、西夏的统治及其与北宋的关系
  49. 二 南宋与金朝、蒙古的对峙
  50. 第十四章 金朝与大蒙古国
  51. 一 金朝历史概况
  52. 二 大蒙古国
  53. 第十五章 元朝百年统治
  54. 一 元朝的建立与统一
  55. 二 汉化迟滞与元朝的早衰
  56. 三 元朝的民族关系与对外关系
  57. 第十六章 隋唐宋元时期的经济、社会与文化
  58. 一 隋唐宋元时期的经济与社会
  59. 二 隋唐宋元时期的文化
  60. 第十七章 朱元璋与明初政治
  61. 一 明朝的建立及开国制度
  62. 二 洪武时期的重典统治
  63. 三 从靖难之役到仁宣之治
  64. 第十八章 明朝中后期政治述略
  65. 一 皇位继承与“家天下”的皇权
  66. 二 内阁与宦官
  67. 三 士大夫集团与党争
  68. 第十九章 明朝边疆局势与清朝的兴起
  69. 一 “南倭北虏”及其他问题
  70. 二 满族的崛起
  71. 三 清朝的统一
  72. 第二十章 康乾盛世及其余波
  73. 一 君主集权的巅峰
  74. 二 文治与武功
  75. 三 盛世的危机
  76. 第二十一章 明清时期的经济、社会与文化
  77. 一 明清时期的经济与社会
  78. 二 明清时期的文化
  79. 后记
  80. 再版后记
  81. 《中国古代简史》（第2版）课件申请表

FAQ

Can this book be finished in one semester? The book is designed for the capacity of a one-semester general history course, emphasizing integrated understanding while covering period-specific knowledge. Its length and structure are convenient for instructors to complete within limited class hours, and students can plan their weekly reading accordingly.
What is the difference between the second edition and the first? According to publication information, the author has made some revisions in the second edition for greater convenience in teaching. For specific revisions, refer to the preface; teachers and students using the old edition can compare the table of contents and chapter adjustments to decide whether to switch.
Will non-history majors find it difficult? The book balances systematic coverage with readability and was written as a textbook for undergraduate humanities students and general education courses. Non-history readers can generally follow it by reading chapters in order; for denser sections such as institutional history, slow down and use the introductions to grasp the main thread.

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About the author

张帆 Author

Public information about Zhang Fan is limited, and his profile emerges mainly from the twenty-five works held in this catalog. His writing spans several fields: general history titles such as A Brief History of Ancient China and its illustrated and second editions; historical narratives for different readers, including The Era of Mi Yue and a volume on the Yuan dynasty in A Children's Introduction to Chinese History; as well as documentary-style works like Broken Trust: The Collapse of Public Health Systems, social-science topics such as A New History of Humanity, and management books including Hidden Champions. Overall, he comes across as a compiler and writer who bridges academic popularization and general reading, turning specialized knowledge into clear, accessible prose. His history books emphasize structure and readability for beginners, while his other works address contemporary issues with a focus on conveying information rather than personal stylistic display.