Written for young people, this colorful story covers the period from 3000 B. C. to the defeat of Japan.

Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor of China, was a man of incredible contrasts. He was a visionary leader who united all of China’s warring kingdoms into one unified country, thus paving the way for the modern Chinese nation. He developed a national currency, a standard writing style, and a road network that stitched the country together. Yet he was also evil and cruel. He burned books, imposed harsh taxes, and killed thousands of people. The story of Qin Shi Huangdi brackets the story of ancient China emerging into modern times. It’s a story of a country whose discoveries, such as silk, tea and the iron plow, had a significant impact on the entire world but whose people lived simply, unaware of their vast influence. Although the story of Qin Shi Huangdi ended with his unusual death, China’s story was just beginning.

This provocative history of the largest annual Chinese celebration in the United States—the Chinese New Year parade and beauty pageant in San Francisco—opens a new window onto the evolution of one Chinese American community over the second half of the twentieth century. In a vividly detailed account that incorporates many different voices and perspectives, Chiou-ling Yeh explores the origins of these public events and charts how, from their beginning in 1953, they developed as a result of Chinese business community ties with American culture, business, and politics. What emerges is a fascinating picture of how an ethnic community shaped and was shaped by transnational and national politics, economics, ethnic movements, feminism, and queer activism.

Profiles the life and accomplishments of Chinese emperor Han Wudi and discusses life in ancient China.

China is daily becoming more and more an object of interest and curiosity to European nations, in proportion as commerce, the fore-runner, if not the cause, of all improvement.in the arts of civilization, discloses its resources, and sheds new light on the character and intellectual cultivation of its inhabitants. Hitherto, the remoteness of its situation with respect to Britain, and the rude, inhospitable nature of its policy toward strangers, have concurred in perpetuating the erroneous impressions created by travelers imperfectly informed, or prone to exaggeration. Among the unfounded notions sedulously propagated by the advocates of arbitrary power, is the opinion that this vast empire, the government of which may be regarded as the beau ideal of despotism, has been torn by fewer revolutions and civil wars than the free states of the West; and that its military power is a kind of colossus, fabricated by the wisdom of ages, which no force or policy that could be exerted by any European nation would suffice to overthrow.--Amazon.com.

With overview essays and more than 400 A-Z entries, this exhaustive encyclopedia documents the history of Asians in America from earliest contact to the present day. Organized topically by group, with an in-depth overview essay on each group, the encyclopedia examines the myriad ethnic groups and histories that make up the Asian American population in the United States. "Asian American History and Culture" covers the political, social, and cultural history of immigrants from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and their descendants, as well as the social and cultural issues faced by Asian American communities, families, and individuals in contemporary society. In addition to entries on various groups and cultures, the encyclopedia also includes articles on general topics such as parenting and child rearing, assimilation and acculturation, business, education, and literature. More than 100 images round out the set.