China

The volume summarizes almost 2000 years of Chinese history-from the founding of the Chinese Empire in 221 B.C. to the Ming dynasty, the last dynasty to rule before the country opened to the outside world in the middle of the seventeenth century. It brings together the most significant products of Chinese culture, showing the evolution of the arts, everyday lifestyles, religious beliefs, the coexistence of tradition and innovation, and sacred and profane values.