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The Story of China
- A Portrait of a Civilisation and Its People
- Narrated by: Michael Wood
- Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins
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The Story of China
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Summary
China’s story is extraordinarily rich and dramatic. Now Michael Wood, one of the UK's pre-eminent historians, brings it all together in a major new one-volume history of China that is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand its burgeoning role in our world today.
China is the oldest living civilisation on earth, but its history is still surprisingly little known in the wider world. Michael Wood's sparkling narrative, which mingles the grand sweep with local and personal stories, woven together with the author’s own travel journals, is an enthralling account of China’s 4000-year-old tradition, taking in life stationed on the Great Wall or inside the Forbidden City. The story is enriched with the latest archaeological and documentary discoveries, correspondence and court cases going back to the Qin and Han dynasties, family letters from soldiers in the real-life Terracotta Army, stories from Silk Road merchants and Buddhist travellers, along with memoirs and diaries of emperors, poets and peasants.
In the modern era, the book is full of new insights, with the electrifying manifestos of the feminist revolutionaries Qiu Jin and He Zhen, extraordinary eye-witness accounts of the Japanese invasion, the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao, and fascinating newly published sources for the great turning points in China’s modern history, including the Tiananmen Square crisis of 1989, and the new order of President Xi Jinping.
A compelling portrait of a single civilisation over an immense period of time, the audiobook is full of intimate detail and colourful voices, taking us from the desolate Mongolian steppes to the ultra-modern world of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. It also asks what were the forces that have kept China together for so long? Why was China overtaken by the west after the 18th century? What lies behind China’s extraordinary rise today? The Story of China tells a thrilling story of intense drama, fabulous creativity and deep humanity; a portrait of a country that will be of the greatest importance to the world in the 21st century.
Critic reviews
"A learned, wise, wonderfully written single volume history of a civilisation that I knew I should know more about." (Tom Holland)
"Masterful and engrossing...well-paced, eminently readable and well-timed. A must for those who want – and need – to know about the China of yesterday, today and tomorrow." (Peter Frankopan)
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What listeners say about The Story of China
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-03-23
An eye opener ...
Clear and enjoyable narration
Looking for more thirst quenching stories.
would highly recommend.
Thanks
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan
- 16-03-24
A revelatory insight into Chinese history
the 4000 year sweep gives an overview not often heard and allows a greater understanding of how China got to where it is today
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gareth Smith
- 26-11-20
excellent history of China
I came into this with some trepidation but it was worth it!. Excellent allround work!
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The hon Paul Randolph - Welsby
- 10-03-21
Speed
A good story spolied by poor direction.
to make this intelligable speed narration up by 20 %
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR M BIRD
- 03-10-23
Enlightening..
As someone who has a thirst for history but has mainly concentrated on European up until now, this looked ideal for developing a beginning of understanding about China and it’s history. Mission accomplished. 4000 years of history explained brilliantly and with accounts taken from all levels of society through the ages…very enjoyable, informative and thought provoking.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mairead O'Shea
- 21-08-23
Eye opening
The author did an amazing job on a very complex history. He kept it interesting the whole way through, this book gave me an insight into China, it’s culture and the tenacity of its ordinary people that was necessary for me to understand. I have to admit it frightens me how cruel some leaders can be to their people.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rushdog
- 03-07-21
An epic story made enjoyable and entertaining
The China story is obviously pretty big. I knew nearly nothing about China before this book. Michael Wood breaks down the larger narrative with individual human stories, which I found very engaging. His knowledge of China is very deep and this makes the story telling very informative. I felt that I've taken away not only the facts but also a cultural feeling of China, which is exactly what I wanted from the history. Well worth your time to listen to this.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 20-02-21
Exquisite history of China
Superbly written. Thoroughly engaging and read beautifully by the author himself, this is a fantastic book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Karen
- 19-04-21
Fabulous
So interesting and informative but never boring or repetitive.
I really enjoyed listening to Michael Wood his style of narration exactly right.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Davie Austin
- 24-06-22
Epic
One of the best books I've listened to. Superbly read and researched. It gives a great insight into what makes China the nation it is today.
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