Arthur Cotterell, in China: A History, divides the evolution of the country into two major time divisions, Pre-historic China and Historic China. The first division extends from earliest humans from about 1,700,000 B.C. to the end of the Neolithic period and the Langshan culture in about 2300 B.C. This Pre-historic China is composed primarily of the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. The Neolithic era includes cultures from 6000 B.C. to 2300 B.C., from the Peiligang, the Hemudu, the Yangshao, the Hongshan, and the Langshan cultures.
Historic China includes the Dynastic and the Modern eras. The Dynastic era extends from 2100 B.C. to 1911 A.D. and includes 15 cultures and dynasties, including Xia, Zhou, Han, Jin, Sui, Tang, Song and, finally, the Qing or Ch'ing, carrying Chinese history to 1911. The Modern era of China includes the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China, the latter founded with the victory of the communists in 1949 and extending to today.
The book begins with maps of China, an overview of the primary geographical features, historical urban and national maps related to important historical events, such as the expedition of Cheng Ho, basic traits of the Chinese family related to behavior and tradition, festivals and the lunar calendar, ethnic groups, origins of the characters of the Chinese language, some sayings of Confucius, an article on filial piety, and an essay on the debt of the West to China. It is a fascinating collection with which to open the book, but somewhat confusing because these pieces do not fit together coherently in any helpful way. This material should have been placed at the end of the book.
The book proper begins with another division of the history of China, more helpful and focused than the first: Pre-Imperial China (up to 221 B.C.), Imperial China (to 1912), and Post-Imperial China, extending to today. The portrait painted of the history and development of China, fr...