Royalty in China

Book Categories: History, Yellow Emperor, Shi Huangdi, DVDs, Ancient China, Great Wall, Palaces, Qin and Han, Terracotta Army, Three Kingdoms, Medieval China, Sui and Tang, Empress Wu, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, Cixi, Last Emperor, Tibet, King Gesar, Western Xia, Children's Books

Chinese Royal History

Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors by Ann Paludan. A reign-by-reign record of the rulers of imperial China, from legendary first emperor Qin Shihuangdi to the last emperor in the 20th century. Useful for basic research and fun to browse, this heavily-illustrated book includes maps, timelines, and special features on everything from the Great Wall to the Boxer Rebellion.

Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao by Keith McMahon. Chinese emperors took multiple wives, in some cases hundreds and even thousands. This book examines the intrigue and scandal among rival wives.

The Cambridge Illustrated History of China by Patricia Buckley Ebrey. This sumptuously illustrated single-volume history traces the origins of Chinese culture from prehistoric times to the present.

A Concise History of China by J. A. G. Roberts. Leads the reader through Chinese history in 300 pages, adding sufficient detail and anecdote to provide color and texture. Includes 10 maps. (Review © Amazon.com)

China's Imperial Past by Charles O. Hucker. An introduction to Chinese history and culture.

Imperial China: 900-1800 by F. W. Mote. Highlights the personal characteristics of China's rulers and dynasties in the vast panorama of the largest society in human history.

China: Its History and Culture by W. Scott Morton. An introduction to Chinese history.

Imperial China, 617-1644 edited by Guangqiu Xu.

Speaking to History: The Story of King Goujian in Twentieth-Century China by Paul A. Cohen. The story of King Goujian, a psychologically complex 5th century BC monarch, spoke powerfully to the Chinese during the 20th century. This book examines why people are drawn to narratives from the distant past and how shared narratives help to define a culture.

The Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine by Maoshing Ni. A new translation of the Neijing Suwen, an ancient Chinese text on medicine and Taoism said to have been written by the Yellow Emperor himself.

The Complete Tao Te Ching With the Four Canons of the Yellow Emperor edited by Jean Levi. The long-lost the Four Canons of ancient China's legendary Yellow Emperor. Topics include the art of ruling, metaphysics, military matters, and meditation.

More Books About the Yellow Emperor

Ancient China

The Cambridge History of Ancient China edited by Michael Loewe and Edward L. Shaughnessy. Fourteen leading specialists on early China cover more than 1000 years of history.

Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. The author, who died around 9 BC, was the first major Chinese historian. He documented the history of China and neighboring countries from the ancient past to his own time.

Empresses and Consorts: Selections From Chen Shou's Records of the Three States With Pei Songzhi's Commentary by Chen Shou, Robert Joe Cutter, William Gordon Crowell, and Pei Songzhi. A critical overview of developments affecting palace women from earliest times to the Han dynasty.

The Qin (Ch'in) and Han Empires

Books About the Qin Dynasty

Divination, Mythology and Monarchy in Han China by Michael Loewe. Covers 206 B.C. to 220 A.D.

The Great Wall & Imperial Palaces

Books About the Great Wall of China
Books About the Forbidden City and Other Palaces

The Three Kingdoms

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong (Lo Kuan-chung), translated by Moss Roberts. A classic 14th century Chinese novel about the battles between the Three Kingdoms for control of China in the 3rd century AD. This translation is unabridged.

Medieval China

Kingship in Early Medieval China by Andrew Eisenberg. The institution of the Retired Emperor and Classical Chinese political history (4th to 7th centuries AD).

The Sui and Tang (T'ang) Dynasties

The Cambridge History of China: Sui and T'Ang China, 589-906 (Vol 3 Part 1) edited by Denis C. Twitchett.

Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty: His Life, Times, and Legacy by Victor Cunril Xiong. Presents a reappraisal of the Chinese emperor, whose legacy provided the foundation for the celebrated civilization of the Tang dynasty.

China's Southern Tang Dynasty, 937-976 by Johannes L. Kurz. The Southern Tang was one of China's minor dynasties and one of the great states in China in the tenth century.

The Poetics of Sovereignty: On Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty by Jack W. Chen. Examines the literary writings of China's Emperor Taizong (r. 626-49), especially his poetry.

Imperial Tombs in Tang China, 618-907: The Politics of Paradise by Tonia Eckfeld. Looks at the religious, political, social, and artistic significance of the imperial tombs of the Tang dynasty.

Tang China and the Collapse of the Uighur Empire: A Documentary History by Michael R. Drompp.

The Sui Dynasty: The Unification of China, AD 581-617 by Arthur F. Wright. Published in 1978. Out of print, but available at Alibris.

Empress Wu

Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of The Only Woman to Become Emperor of China by Nigel Cawthorne. Empress Wu Zetian seduced her way to the throne, executed her enemies without mercy, murdered her own children for political gain, and reigned for over 50 years.

Wu: The Chinese Empress Who Schemed, Seduced and Murdered Her Way to Become a Living God by Jonathan Clements. Born in the 7th century, Wu Zetian was the daughter of a lumber merchant. Her beauty and steely determination helped her become China's only reigning empress.

Wu Zhao: China's Only Female Emperor by N. Harry Rothschild. Biography of Wu Zhao, who improbably rose from a fifth-ranked concubine to become emperor.

Empress Wu the Great, Tang Dynasty China by X. L. Woo. Biography of Wu Zetian (624-705), the only female sovereign to rule in her own name during all of Chinese history.

The Woman Who Discovered Printing by T. H. Barrett. Explores why Empress Wu (AD 625-705) was interested in printing, and why its introduction had less immediate impact in China than it did in Europe centuries later.

Empress by Evelyn B. McCune. Popular novel about Empress Wu, the only woman to rule China in her own right.

Empress: A Novel by Shan Sa. Fictional account of the life of Empress Wu, China's only female emperor, who emerged in the seventh century during the great Tang Dynasty and ushered in a golden age.

Empress of China: Wu Ze Tian by Cheng-An Chiang, illustrated by Xu De Yuan. This children's book tells the true story of the 7th century woman who ruled China.

More Books About Empress Wu

The Song (Sung) Dynasty

Branches of Heaven: A History of the Imperial Clan of Sung China by John W. Chaffee. This dynasty ruled China from 960 to 1279.

Emperor Huizong and Late Northern Song China: The Politics of Culture and the Culture of Politics edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey and Maggie Bickford. Huizong was an exceptional emperor who wrote poetry and created his own calligraphy style. When Song proved unable to defend itself against the Jurchen state of Jin, Huizong and thousands of members of his family and court were taken captive, and the Song dynasty had to recreate itself in the South.

Empresses, Art, and Agency in Song Dynasty China by Hui-shu Lee. The critical role emperors' wives played as patrons, collectors, taste-makers, and artists during the three-century Song dynasty (960-1279).

Accumulating Culture: The Collections of Emperor Huizong by Patricia Buckley Ebrey. A study of the art collections of China's Emperor Huizong (1082-1135).

The Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty

Books About the Mongolian Empire

The Ming Dynasty

The Cambridge History of China: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I edited by Frederick W. Mote and Denis Twitchett.

A Tale of Two Melons: Emperor and Subject in Ming China by Sarah Schneewind. A commoner's presentation to the emperor of a lucky omen from his garden and several retellings of the incident provide the background for an introduction to Ming society, culture, and politics, including discussions of the founding of the Ming dynasty, the character of the first emperor, and the role of omens in court politics.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule edited by Edward L. Farmer. Zhu Yuanzhang was born a peasant and rose to be the first Ming emperor.

Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle by Shih-Shan Henry Tsai. Biography of a 15th century Chinese emperor.

1587, A Year of No Significance by Ray Huang is about Emperor Wan-li, who ruled China for 48 years.

A Dragon's Head and a Serpent's Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592-1598 by Kenneth M. Swope. Japanese troops invaded Korea in May of 1592, and Korea's appeal to China's Emperor Wanli for assistance triggered a six-year war encompassing the whole region.

The Ming Prince and Daoism: Institutional Patronage of an Elite by Richard G. Wang. Explores the interaction between China's Ming princes and Daoist priests.

The Pirate King: Coxinga and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty by Jonathan Clements. The fantastic true story of an infamous pirate whose mother was a Japanese Samurai. He became the richest man in China and the king of Taiwan, and was made a god -- twice. Available from Alibris.

The Qing (Ching) Dynasty

The Manchus by Pamela Kyle Crossley. The Manchus united and conquered the whole of China and Mongolia.

Orphan Warriors: Three Manchu Generations and the End of the Qing World by Pamela Kyle Crossley explores the lives of China's military bannermen.

The Last Emperors by Evelyn Sakakida Rawski is a social history of Qing imperial institutions.

Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'Ang-Hsi by Jonathan D. Spence uses original documents to tell the life story of Manchu emperor K'ang-Hsi, who ruled China from 1661 to 1772.

Treason by the Book by Jonathan D. Spence is about Emperor Yongzheng's surprising correspondence with a dissident, which the emperor had published and distributed throughout China. In Spence's hand the story becomes a metaphor for the power of books to change lives. (Review © Amazon.co.uk)

China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795 by Regina Krahl, Alfreda Murck, Evelyn Rawski, Jessica Rawson. This sumptuous book focuses on the most powerful rulers of China's last dynasty, the Qing. It includes color photographs of more than 370 treasures: precious robes and palace furnishings, paintings and painted scrolls, weapons and ceremonial armor, and an imperial throne. Essays explore these treasures and people who created them.

Emperor Qianlong: Son of Heaven, Man of the World by Mark Elliott. Biography of the Manchu emperor Qianlong (1711-1799),who helped build the foundation of the modern Chinese nation.

Gardens of a Chinese Emperor: Imperial Creations of the Qianlong Era, 1739-1796 by Victoria M. Siu. The Garden of Perfect Brightness (Yuanming Yuan) was begun by the great Kangxi and expanded by his son, Yongzheng, and his grandson, Qianlong. It now lies mostly in ruins, but was the world's most elaborate garden in the 18th century. This book includes 62 color plates and 35 black and white photographs.

Imperial Secrets of Health and Longevity by Bob Flaws reveals the longevity secrets of the fourth Manchu emperor, Qian Long.

The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence. A thorough history of China from the days of the Manchus.

The Rise of Modern China by Immanuel C. Y. Hsu. Covers China's history from the origins of the Ching empire to recent times.

New Qing Imperial History: The Making of Inner Asian Empire at Qing Chengde by James A. Millward. Uses the Manchu summer capital of Chengde as the focus for an exploration of the importance of Inner Asia and Tibet to the Qing Empire (1636-1911). Discusses the nature and representation of emperorship, especially under Qianlong.

After Empire: The Conceptual Transformation of the Chinese State, 1885-1924 by Peter Zarrow. After over 2,000 years of monarchical rule, the Chinese people suddenly stopped believing in the emperor. What made this possible?

A Translucent Mirror: History and Identity in Qing Imperial Ideology by Pamela Kyle Crossley. Examines Qing emperorship, the evolution of concepts of ethnicity, and the legacy of Qing rule for modern Chinese nationalism.

Books About Chinese Empress Cixi (Tzu Hsi)
Books About the Last Emperor of China

Books About Tibet

Demystifying Tibet: Unlocking the Secrets of the Land of the Snows by Lee Feigon. An authoritative view of the history and culture of Tibet.

So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas by Barbara Crossette is about Bhutan and the neighboring kingdoms of Ladakh, Sikkim and Tibet.

The Clear Mirror: A Traditional Account of Tibet's Golden Age by Sakyapa Sonam Gyaltsen. A rich blend of history, legend, poetry, adventure, romance, and royal genealogy.

The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia by Christopher I. Beckwith. This narrative history of the Tibetan Empire from about A.D. 600 to 866 explains Tibet's role in the conflict over Central Asia.

A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951: The Demise of the Lamaist State by Melvyn C. Goldstein. This non-partisan study of modern Tibetan history draws on diplomatic records, written accounts, and extensive interviews.

My Tibet by the Dalai Lama, photographs by Galen Rowell. Essays by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama appear with Galen Rowell's dramatic images in a moving presentation of the splendors of Tibet's revered but threatened heritage.

History of Tibet - Three-Volume Set by Alex McKay, Janette Jenkins. The history of Tibet from the pre-10th through the mid-20th centuries. Includes maps and illustrations.

Tibetan Histories: A Bibliography of Tibetan-Language Historical Works by Dan Martin.

More Books About the History of Tibet
Books About the Dalai Lamas
Books About Tibetan Palaces

Tibetan King Gesar

The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling by Alexandra David-Neel and Lama Yongden. Translated by Violet Sydney. Describes the life of King Gesar and recounts his battles and magical adventures. Alexandra David-Neel was a French explorer who traveled to Tibet in the 1920s.

The Warrior Song of King Gesar by Douglas J. Penick. The legendary King Gesar of Ling is a the subject of an ancient Central Asian epic poem. This is a modern version of the king's heroic saga.

Western Xia

My Life as Emperor by Su Tong. Novel about an 11th century emperor of the Western Xia kingdom in China.

Children's Books About China and Tibet

Han Wu Di by Miriam Greenblatt. Biography of Chinese emperor Wu of Han, who reigned from 141 BC to 87 BC. For children ages 9 to 12.

Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China by Deborah Noyes, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. A young Chinese princess, sent to marry the king of far-off Khotan, comes up with a clever plan to ensure that her home is with her always. For children ages 4 to 8.

Hero of the Land of Snow translated by Sylvia Gretchen, illustrations by Julia Witwer. Recounts the Tibetan myth about the magical birth and heroic exploits of King Gesar.

Secret of the Healing Treasures translated by Sylvia Gretchen, illustrations by Julia Witwer. Young King Gesar frees an enslaved kingdom from evil magicians.

Children's Books About Empress Cixi

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Movies and Documentaries

DVDs About China's First Emperor
Movie About Empress Tzu Hsi
Movie About the Last Emperor of China
More Royal Movies and Documentaries

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Video Games About Chinese History

Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Playstation and Nintendo games based on Chinese history.

More Games About Ancient China