Geography, government, population, and early history -- Pre-imperial China, ca. 1122-221 B.C. -- Early imperial China, 221 B.C.-A.D. 589 -- Middle and late imperial China, A.D. 589-ca. 1800 -- The tumultuous nineteenth century : external aggression and internal chaos -- Revolution and republic -- the People's Republic : from first breath to Mao's death -- Deng's China -- China in the 1990s -- The twenty-first century : dealing with a pushy China -- A prosperous and confused island : Taiwan since 1945 -- Notable people in the history of China -- Chinese dynasties.