China is a rich treasure of culture, history, arts and architecture that has always left everyone spellbound. There are numerous ancient china books that present the various facets of ancient China in great detail.
Popular Books on Ancient Chinese History
Although the list of books on ancient China is endless, there are some prominent reads that give a great picture of this fabled land.
List of ancient China books
1. Chinese Civilization
Written by Marcel Grant, Kathleen Innes, and Mabel Brailsford, the book gives a comprehensive picture of the entire history of China since its inception. The book deals with the political history, the social structure, and customs in ancient China. The book also provides interesting illustrations to support the content.
2. Law and Morality in Ancient China
The Silk Manuscripts of Huang-Lao: This book gives an in-depth analysis of the social and political philosophies of the Taoist deity Huang-Lao along with a study of ideologies of legendary Chinese thinkers like Confucius, Han Fei, Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi.
3. China before the Han Dynasty
The book written by William Watson describes the life in China starting from the Paleolithic Age till the Bronze Age after the Chou dynasty.
4. Anyang
The Anyang describes the famous Anyang archeological excavations of the oracle bones which comprised of Chinese character inscriptions. The oracle bones were considered to be dragon bones and the inscriptions when translated provided a new dimension to the history of ancient China. The book is a work of Dr. Li Chi.
5. Disputers of the Tao
Philosophical Argument in Ancient China: One of the classics that discusses in detail the core of the philosophies prevalent in ancient China. The book covers works of Mao-Tzu, Sung Hsing, Chuang-Tzu and Lao-Tzu. The book also includes the philosophies of the Yangists and the Sophists.
6. Ancient China and Its Enemies
The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History: This is an interesting read about the legendary rivalry between the nomads and the native Chinese. The author Di Cosmo provides a detailed description of the rivalry between the two segments.
These are some of the widely followed ancient Chinese books that cover every aspect of the bygone era social, economic, cultural, philosophical and military.