Ancient China Books

The Search for Ancient China, by Corinne Debaine-Francfort
This fascinating book examines how archaeological discoveries-including sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, utensils, and, of course, the famous army of life-size terracotta warriors found in an emperor's tomb-have shed new light on ancient Chinese history and culture. Corinne Debaine-Francfort is an archaeologist, sinologist, and researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France.165 illustrations, 105 in full color, 3 maps (UK )

Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia, by Peter Hopkirk
The Silk Road, which linked imperial Rome and distant China, was once the greatest thoroughfare on earth. Along it travelled precious cargoes of silk, gold, and ivory, as well as revolutionary new ideas. Its oasis towns blossomed into thriving centres of Buddhist art and learning. In time it began to decline. The traffic slowed, the merchants left, and finally its towns vanished beneath the desert sands to be forgotten for a thousand years. But legends grew up of lost cities filled with treasurees and guarded by demons. (UK )

Eyewitness: Ancient China, by Arthur Cotterell, Alan Hills (Photographer), Geoff Brightling (Photographer)
Here is a spectacular and informative guide to the history of the great Chinese empire and the customs and traditions of its people. Stunning real-life photographs and lifelike models offer a unique "eyewitness" view of life in imperial China, from its earliest beginnings in the Bronze Age to its final days in the early years of the 20th century. (UK )

The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West, by J. P. Mallory, Victor H. Mair
The best-preserved mummies are in the museums of Xinjiang, China. For thousands of years the occupants of the Tarim deserts buried their dead in the desert sands. The mummies' faces are European, and this study tries to explain their origin. (UK )

The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, by Patricia Buckley Ebrey
More populous than any other country on earth, China also occupies a unique place in our modern world for the continuity of its history and culture. In this sumptuously illustrated single-volume history, noted historian Patricia Ebrey traces the origins of Chinese culture from prehistoric times to the present. She follows its development from the rise of Confucianism, Buddhism, and the great imperial dynasties to the Mongol, Manchu, and Western intrusions and the modern communist state. (UK )

See also: Ancient China