Providing coverage of the Imperial Era this handbook takes a chronological approach and includes comprehensive analysis of all major periods With contributions from a team of international authors, key themes include: political events; cultural and literary achievements; and legal, economic and military institutions.

Introduction Part I: Early Imperial China (Qin-Five Dynasties) Section 1 The Qin-Han Empire 1. The Qin Dynasty, Charles Sanft 2. The Western Han, Liang CAI 3. The Eastern Han, Rafe de Crespigny Section 2 The Six Dynasties 4. The Three States (Three Kingdoms), Michael Farmer 5. The Jin and the Sixteen States, Kawamoto Yoshiaki 6. The Southern and Northern Dynasties, Andrew Chittick Section 3 The Sui-Tang Empire and Five Dynasties 7. The Sui Dynasty, Victor Cunrui Xiong 8. The Tang Dynasty I (618-756), Seo Tatsuhiko 9. The Tang Dynasty II (756-907), Antony DeBlasi 10. The Five Dynasties, Peter Lorge Part II: Late Imperial China (Song-Qing) Section 4 The Age of Song, Liao, and Jin 11. The Northern Song, Yongguang HU 12. The Southern Song, Robert Foster 13. The Khitan-Liao and Jurchen-Jin, Valerie Hansen Section 5 The Yuan and Ming Empires 14. The Yuan Dynasty, Michael Carl Brose 15. The Ming Dynasty (pre-1521), Peter Ditmanson 16. The Ming Dynasty (post-1521,) Harry Miller 17. Yuan-Ming Culture, Kenneth J. Hammond Section 6 The Qing Empire 18. The Qing Dynasty (pre-1800), Yang-wen ZHENG 19. The Qing Dynasty (post-1800), Nancy Park 20. Qing Culture, Richard Smith