Imperial China, 900-1800

the long version

"This history of China for the 900-year time span of the late imperial period, by a senior scholar of the epoch, highlights the personal characteristics of the rulers and dynasties and probes the cultural theme of Chinese adaptations to recurrent alien rule. No other work provides a similar synthesis: generational events, personalities, and the spirit of the age combine to yield a comprehensive history of the civilization, not isolated but shaped by its relation to outsiders."--BOOK JACKET.