Getting Ready

China's recorded history dates back an astounding 50 centuries. Dynasties led by autocratic rulers provide thumbnails for identifying periods of Chinese history all the way up to 1912. During the Zhou period (1100 to 220 BC), the philosopher Confucius lived and wrote, imbuing the Chinese character with traits of loyalty and morality for all the generations to come. Zhou leaders believed that a ruler's power stems from a direct Mandate of Heaven, a concept that endured for thousands of years.

The Zhou of the west fought feudal wars with the Shang, who had settled in China's east, near the Yellow River. Eventually, the Qin Dynasty succeeded in unifying numerous warlords and installing China's first strong central government. The Qin laid the first stones of the Great Wall to keep out invaders, enforced the concept of a unifying language, set up the first true emperor, and even built the terracotta warriors for their emperor's trip to the next world.

Later, the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) ended a period of rebellion and further re-enforced the foundations of Chinese history. During their 400-year rule, the Han Empire became roughly equal in power and size to the Roman Empire. The Han established trade through the Silk Road, embraced Buddhism, and fought battles in what are now Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam. Education, arts and sciences became so important to the Chinese at this time that even during the chaotic Three Kingdoms period around 250 AD, independent states had enough influence on neighboring Japan to export the Han system of writing that is still used in both countries today.

Invention and culture thrived during the Song Dynasty in the 10th and 11th Centuries. Confucian influence revived alongside Buddhism. Painting and the arts flourished. Cultivated rice began to fuel a growing population and trade grew. Modern inventions included gunpowder, the first paper currency, and possibly, the compass.

In 1271, the Mongol Kublai Khan invaded from the north and established the Yuan Dynasty. During their reign, Marco Polo sailed all the way to China from Venice, bringing to the West the first stories of China's poets, inventions and riches.

After only about 100 years of Yuan rule, the Mings, who would establish Beijing as China's capital, took over for nearly 300 years. Art and literature soared during this refined era. As evidenced by the Forbidden City, architecture also blossomed. But storms of war were gathering on the horizon and in 1644, the Manchus overthrew the Ming Dynasty after a horrific bloodbath estimated at 25 million. The Manchus established the Qing Dynasty, China's last. Rebuffing most Western contact for 150 years, the Qing fueled China's reputation as a mysterious and closed off land. Still, the British were able to establish a trade stronghold in Hong Kong that would last until the 1990's.

Civil wars, unrest, and a great deal of bloodshed marred Chinese life under the Qing. The Taiping Civil War in the mid-1800s may have left as many as 20 million dead as Qing warriors fought the followers of a messianic leader named Hong Xiuquan. Later, wars with Japan led to China's loss of Korea and Taiwan. Britain's introduction of opium to China brought on the bloody and disastrous Boxer Rebellion, which was fought to keep out corrosive foreign influence.

All the upheaval made for stressful times in the Forbidden City. The final adult Qing emperor died in 1908, leaving a 2-year-old boy named Puyi as the "Last Emperor." In 1912, when his adult overseer abdicated, the Republic of China was finally established. But instead of peace, the event served as a prelude to civil war. The Nationalists, led by capitalist Chaing Kai-shek, fought with Communist leader Mao Zedong in a prolonged battle for control. Sometimes, hostilities were put aside while the two sides united to fight Japan's conquest of northern China. When the Japanese finally surrendered in 1945, the gloves came off and Mao's guerilla tactics soon paid off.

Mao established the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 and Chaing Kai-shek's Nationalists retreated to Taiwan. In 2008, the PRC still wants Taiwan back, clinging to its One China Policy that encourages nations to shun Taiwan.

Mao did a lot to modernize China, but at the cost of innumerable lives. Even as he redistributed land to China's millions of peasants, appropriated industries, raised life expectancy and cultivated a personal brand of nationalism and self-promotion, millions were dying in prisons, labor camps and famines. Chairman Mao also invaded Tibet in the 1950s, making Tibet a hot-button political issue even today.

After Mao's death, Deng Xiaoping deployed political and economic reforms in the 1980s and 1990s and began to open China's vast trade market. Although the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre proved that Mao's one-party system and legacy of political repression lived on, Capitalism has gone on to rule the day, carrying with it the hope for a freer, more democratic tomorrow. Under the present leader Hu Jintao, Chinese commerce expands even faster and Chinese leaders try to command respect on the world stage with efforts such as the Beijing Olympics. As its dramatic history continues to unfold, China is more open than ever for travelers to explore and appreciate.

Shadow of the Silk Road

In this lyrical portrait of the world’s greatest land route, celebrated travel writer Thubron records his 7,000 mile trek from Xi’an to Eastern Turkey. Buy now

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

In this riveting tale spanning three generations, Chang chronicles her family’s experiences, from the Cultural Revolution, to Japanese occupation, to the paradoxes of modern-day China.
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Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood (2006)

An affectionate and compelling account of Booth’s experiences as a youth in 1950s Hong Kong, and a way of life that no longer exists. Buy now

China and the WTO: Changing China, Changing World Trade

Written by the man who was about to become head of the World Trade Organization, this book analyzes the global impact of China’s entry to the WTO in 2001. Buy now

Genghis Khan Life, Death and Resurrection

Part history, part travelogue, this absorbing book details the rise and conquests of the ruthless but brilliant Khan, and the mysteries that still surround him. Buy now

Old Peking Revisited

Historian and art critic Cameron explores the enigmas surrounding the Forbidden City, and recaptures the impressions of the visitors who were drawn there. Buy now

Shanghai, Gateway to the Celestial Empire, 1960-1949

From 1860-1948, Shangai was China’s only modern metropolis, an international crossroads filled with intrigue and decadence, and the backdrop to every major event. Dong’s book brings it all to life. Buy now

Lijiang: The Imperiled Utopia

The historic town of Lijiang in the far reaches of Yunnan Province has remained remarkably untouched by time. But as its beauty attracts tourists by the hordes, will it lose the charms that make it unique? Buy now

Lady of Ch'iao Kuo, Warrior of the South, Southern China, AD 531

A fictionalized first-person account of 16-year-old Princess Redbird – future Warrior Queen of the Hsien tribe – as she embarks on a remarkable adventure. Buy now

The Year of the Panda

In this well-crafted chapter book, written for ages 8-12, readers learn about the plight of the giant panda through the story of 10-year-old Yu Li and his father, who find an orphaned panda cub and nurse it back to health. Buy now

The Adventures of Marco Polo

This beautifully illustrated and evocative biography recounts the fantastic journeys of the famed 13th century explorer. Rich with vivid details, the book lets readers decide for themselves whether the tales are true. Buy now

Confucius, The Golden Rule

Written for readers aged 8-12, this comprehensive biography puts the life and philosophy of the renowned scholar into a political and cultural context. Buy now

Mao’s Last Dancer (2009)

This film tells the true story of Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin, who began studying ballet at the age of 11 under Mao’s cultural program. During an exchange visit to Texas, he falls in love with an American woman. Two years later, he manages to defect and goes on to dance with the Houston and Australia Ballets.

The Painted Veil (2007)

Set in the 1920s, this film tells the story of Kitty, a frivolous upper-class Englishwoman in a loveless marriage to a staid British doctor. When he discovers her infidelity, he volunteers to fight a deadly cholera epidemic in rural China, and forces her to come along. Buy now

The White Countess (2006)

An exiled Russian countess, forced to work demeaning jobs to support her family, forms a relationship with a blind American diplomat. The film takes place in Shanghai, in the year leading up to the 1937 Japanese invasion. Buy now

House of Flying Daggers (2005)

No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Government officers Leo and Jin set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers. Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. Buy now

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

An epic set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, combines the exhilarating martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo-Pind (The Matrix) with the sensitivity and classical storytelling of an Ang Lee film. The result is something truly unexpected: romantic, emotionally powerful entertainment. Buy now

Kundun (1997)

Praised as one of the best films of the year, KUNDUN is a motion picture masterpiece directed by five-time Academy Award(R)-nominated director Martin Scorsese. It's the incredible true story of one of the world's most fascinating leaders -- Tibet's Dali Lama and his daring struggle to rule a nation at one of the most challenging times in its history. Buy now

Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

An adaptation of Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer, whose life was changed by his experiences in Tibet with the Dalai Lama. China looms over the land as a constant invasive threat, but Seven Years in Tibet is more concerned with viewing Tibetan history through the eyes of a visitor. The film is filled with stunning images and delightful moments of discovery and soothing, lighthearted spirituality. Buy now

The Last Emperor (1987)

This Oscar-winning epic is the true story of Pu Yi, last ruler of the Chinese Ching Dynasty. The film covers the years from 1908, when Pu Yi was named Emperor at the age of three, through his brief reign in the Forbidden City, his years of dissolution, exile and imprisonment, and finally his death in 1967, an obscure peasant gardener working for the People’s Republic. Buy now

Shanghai Express (1932)

Notorious courtesan “Shanghai Lil” has a chance to prove her worth to her former love, Dr. Harvey, when Chinese guerillas take him hostage. One of the best-loved of Dietrich’s films, this classic thriller won an Oscar for its stylistic cinematography. Buy now

The Karate Kid (June 2010)

This remake of the original 1984 movie stars Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son) as Dre, a boy who moves from Detroit to Beijing with his mother. When 12-year-old Dre encounters a bully at his new school, he tries unsuccessfully to fight back with karate moves, earning the nickname “Karate Kid.” The school’s maintenance man (Chan), who is secretly a kung fu master, takes Dre under his wing and teaches him the art of kung fu. The movie is filled with beautiful footage of China.
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Kung Fu Panda (2008)

A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. Buy now

Wild China (2008)

Journey across China from the glittering peaks of the Himalayas to the barren steppe, the sub-Arctic to the tropical islands, through deserts both searingly hot and mind-numbingly cold and see, in pioneering images, a dazzling array of mysterious, beautiful, wild and rare creatures.
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China's Great Wall (2006)

Covering 800 miles, the Great Wall is the longest manmade structure in the world. This 2-part documentary explores the legends, the history and the technological marvels behind this awe-inspiring creation. Buy now

Mulan (1998)

Based on a Chinese folktale, this animated feature tells the story of a young girl who takes the place of her ailing father in the Chinese army, and goes on to become one of China’s greatest leaders. Buy now

The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995)

An exciting story about a young American boy who visits to his zoologist father in China and gets involved in the rescue of a baby panda from unscrupulous poachers. Buy now

China has such a vast contrast of climates, you need to carefully consider where you are visiting and at what time of year when deciding what to pack. We visited Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Hong Kong over a Christmas holiday, so we decided to start up north, in the colder climate, and travel south to the warmer temperatures. We packed for the weather, in layers.