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The Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography, the first publication of its kind since 1898, is the work of more than one hundred internationally recognized experts from nearly a dozen countries. It has been designed to satisfy the growing thirst of students, researchers, professionals, and general readers for knowledge about China. It makes the entire span of Chinese history manageable by introducing the reader to emperors, politicians, poets, writers, artists, scientists, explorers, and philosophers who have shaped and transformed China over the course of five thousand years.

The Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography (1979-2015) provides a riveting new way to understand twenty-first-century China and a personal look at the changes that have taken place since the Reform and Opening Up era started in 1979. One hundred key individuals from this period -- including politicians and government officials, film directors, activists, writers, and entrepreneurs from the mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan -- were selected by an international group of experts, and the stories were written by more than 70 authors in 14 countries.

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Chinese history can be overwhelming, and no one claims to understand all of it in detail. But together the world's leading China scholars can tell us the whole story. Comprised of 5,000- to 10,000-word articles, the Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography makes this immense history manageable and easier to comprehend and digest by taking the reader through it in the life stories of key figures - emperors, politicians, poets, writers, artists, scientists, explorers, philosophers - who have shaped, influenced, and transformed China. This is the first time that such an overview will be available in one place, produced by internationally recognized experts, and designed to satisfy the growing thirst for knowledge about China. This unique and ambitious project is built on the success of the monumental Berkshire Encyclopedia of China, published in 2009.