Harvard University Press Imperial China, 900-1800

This is a history of China for the 900-year time span of the late imperial period. F.W. Mote highlights the personal characteristics of the rulers and dynasties and probes the cultural theme of Chinese adaptations to recurrent alien rule. The book offers a synthesis of generational events, personalities and the spirit of the age, to yield a comprehensive history of the civilization, not isolated but shaped by its relation to outsiders.