This enlightening book leads readers though the history of ancient China, up to and through its decline, including how power was centralized within the Zhou royal house and aristocratic families that ruled their individual territories. This resource explains the Spring and Autumn periods, as well as Confucius’s influence, and the positive and negative aspects of the Qin Dynasty. Readers will be captivated by the ebb and flow of rulers, the excitement of peasant revolts, and rebellions that ultimately resulted in the fall of ancient China.

And now for the Zhou -- Further into darkness -- The boy king -- Moving China forward -- Moving China backward -- Backstabbing and intrigue -- Turning the page -- The peasant emperor -- The compassionate ruler -- Wudi the philosophical unifier -- The failed breakup -- End of the Han Dynasty -- The three kingdoms -- The western Jin -- The eastern Jin -- The six dynasties -- An end and a beginning.