Inside and Outside the National Gate

Name: Inside and Outside the National Gate
ISBN: 9787801357021

闻明 / 张林中国环境科学出版社，学苑音像出版社 · ChinaMay 2020

2.0

Word count: 101K words
Chapters: 70
ISBN: 9787801357021

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Summary

The Chinese people's culture is one that values peace and upholds the ideal personality of the golden mean. When cultures meet, it excels at fusion, avoiding bias and resentment, favoring harmony and balance, enabling the Chinese nation to grow and strengthen continuously. Chinese culture is like a sea into which a hundred rivers flow, vast and boundless. "A History of Chinese Culture" narrates China's extraordinary journey from prehistoric times to the present, covering territorial expansion, the formation of the nation, social evolution, economic and cultural development, and political change.

Editor's review

This book approaches from the perspective of cultural history, using "valuing peace and favoring harmony" as its thread to trace China's territorial expansion, ethnic integration, and social evolution from prehistoric times to the present. Its value lies in grounding grand cultural ideas in concrete historical processes, addressing both spiritual traits and the actual changes in economy and politics, avoiding empty talk about abstract concepts. The writing leans toward popular narrative, emphasizing context and overall coherence, suitable for readers who wish first to build a framework of Chinese history and culture. The title "Inside and Outside the Nation's Gates" reminds readers to note the dimensions of Sino-foreign cultural exchange and frontier expansion, which can be read in conjunction with chapters on ethnic formation and territorial change. As a publication jointly issued by China Environmental Science Press and Xueyuan Audiovisual Press, its language is plain and beginner-friendly, suitable as general reading or supplementary material alongside history courses, and convenient for families reading together to select chapters for discussion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers seeking a systematic understanding of Chinese cultural history
Students preparing for extended reading in history or culture courses
Teachers and reading promoters in need of general-knowledge materials
Readers interested in ethnic integration and territorial change

Not a good fit for

Historians seeking in-depth monographic research
Those expecting extensive primary sources and data charts
Casual readers who prefer light, story-driven narrative

Reading tips

First read the table of contents to clarify the timeline, then connect chapters along four threads: territory, ethnicity, economy, and politics.
When reading about cultural exchange, mark passages that echo the "favoring harmony" viewpoint.
After finishing each era, summarize its cultural characteristics in three to five sentences to help form an overall framework.

About the publisher

中国环境科学出版社，学苑音像出版社 China · Founded in 1980

Jointly credited to China Environmental Science Press and Xueyuan Audio-Visual Publishing House, the publications held in this catalog number 243 titles and cover common categories such as architecture, popular science, philosophy, world history, theory, and art. They include works on history and architecture, such as The World History of Architecture: Frozen Music and The Hometown of the Hanging Gardens: Babylon; popular science titles such as 100 Scientific Discoveries That Shook the World and 100 Technological Inventions That Refreshed the World; and works on intellectual and art history, such as The Most Beautiful Flower on Earth: A History of World Thought and The Sublimation of Life and Production: A History of Arts and Crafts. Works by authors including Wen Ming, Peng Pingping, Ge Dan, Qian Shu, and Li Munan form the main author resources. Because public information on the two institutions' complete catalogs and editorial plans is limited, this description presents their publishing direction only on the basis of the books in the catalog: mainly history, popular science, and art history, with some theoretical works, and under the joint imprint a emphasis on knowledge popularization and the humanities and social sciences.

版权信息
《中国历史百科》编纂委员会
《中国历史百科》编辑部
编写说明
世界各国
大宛
康居
月氏
奄蔡
安息
乌弋山离
大夏
贵霜
宾
身毒
大秦
朝鲜
倭
扶南
真腊
骠国
粟特
昭武九姓
勃律
吐火罗
萨珊朝波斯
大食
黎轩
拂菻国
佛郎机
壕镜澳
中外活动
中外经贸
遣隋使
遣唐使
蕃坊
市舶司
佛教
景教
袄教
摩尼教
伊斯兰教
南海交通
荷兰侵占台湾
交阯布政使司
东西洋
耶稣会士
倭寇
雅克萨之战
马戛尔尼使团
鸦片战争
三元里抗英斗争
升平社学
常胜军
太平天国的对外关系
第二次鸦片战争
教案
总理各国事务衙门
中法战争
中日甲午战争
三国干涉还辽
沙俄侵占帕米尔事件
租界
租借地
义和团运动
海兰泡与江东六十四屯惨案
日俄战争
清末留学运动
拒俄事件
抵制美货运动

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no background?

Yes. The book traces Chinese cultural history in a popular narrative, with plain language focused on building a sense of context rather than textual detail. Readers with no background can first read the table of contents and the opening of each chapter to grasp the timeline and thematic distribution, then read chapter by chapter.

What does the book's cultural history narrative emphasize?

According to the introduction, the book uses the cultural spirit of valuing peace and favoring harmony as its thread, narrating territorial expansion, ethnic formation, social evolution, economic and cultural development, and political change, addressing both spiritual traits and actual historical processes, and emphasizing fusion and balance when cultures meet.

Can it be used as supplementary material for classroom teaching?

Yes. The book has a clear structure and accessible language, suitable as auxiliary reading for history or culture courses. Teachers can assign readings by chapter on themes such as ethnic integration and territorial change, and have students make brief summaries in connection with classroom content.

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About the author

闻明 Author

Wen Ming is a prolific author about whom little is publicly available; details such as birth and death dates, nationality, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the 157 works held in the collection, Wen Ming's writing centers mainly on world history and the popularization of the arts, covering architecture, painting, drama, arts and crafts, intellectual history, and ancient civilizations. Representative works include systematic surveys of architectural history, accounts of the rise and fall of ancient civilizations such as Babylon, and introductions to the development of painting, drama, and craft arts. Overall, Wen Ming's writing tends toward informative, general-audience exposition, presenting artistic and historical themes along clear lines and helping ordinary readers understand the cultural background of these fields.

张林 Author

Zhang Lin is a Chinese author whose works span a notably wide range of subjects, with 107 titles held in the collection. Judging from the available bibliography, his writing covers several fields: social novels and essayistic works such as Galloping Horse, One Person, and Don't Forget Why You Started Because You've Gone Too Far; the compilation of the Fu-Selected Liu Duzhou Medical Case Commentaries series, showing an interest in documenting traditional Chinese medicine; I Confess: Recorded Confessions of Japanese War Criminals, a work of history; and Tang and Song Poetry Anecdotes, aimed at popularizing classical verse. His works are also often classified under foreign literature and social sciences. Public information about Zhang Lin is limited, and his biography, nationality, and dates of birth and death cannot be verified. The range of his output nonetheless suggests a versatile writer who moves between literary creation, historical documentation, and the organization of medical texts, balancing accessible writing with careful compilation of source materials.