Disclosure : This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Ming: 50 Years That Changed China

Ask anyone what single object they associate with China and the most common answer will be a Ming vase. Probably without even knowing the dates of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), people are aware of the fragility of its porcelain, its rarity and value. But porcelain is just one part of the story of one of the most glorious epoques of Chinas past. By focusing on the significant years of the early Ming dynasty and through the themes of court people and their lives, extraordinary developments in culture, the military, religion, diplomacy and trade, this magnificent book brings the wider history of this fascinating period to colourful life. This was an age of great voyages of exploration, undertaken for many reasons including trade and diplomacy. Long before the regular arrivals of Europeans in China, court-sponsored expeditions were sent to Asia, the Middle East and the African coast, bringing back knowledge of and objects from lands thousands of miles away gold, gems and foreign fashions.This period also saw the compilation of the worlds first comprehensive encyclopaedia (worked on by over 2000 scholars); the undertaking of major building projects such as the Forbidden City and Ming tombs; the creation of beautiful textiles, paintings, ceramics, gold, jewellery, furniture, jade and lacquer. The engaging narrative is richly illustrated with over 250 images, drawing on the objects specially selected for the British Museums major exhibition. Some of these are the finest pieces ever made in China.

Related Products:

Ming: Art, People and Places Ming`s Adventure on the Great Wall of China Great State: China and the World Mr Selden`s Map of China: The Spice Trade, a Lost Chart & the South China Sea A Political History of the World: Three Thousand Years of War and Peace The Great Wall of China The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China The China Years – 1925-52 China: A History in Objects China: Architectural Guide China: Friend or Foe Becoming China: The Story Behind the State China`s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know (R) Default ThumbnailStory Of China China: An Introduction to the Culture and People Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China`s Last Golden Age Mission to China China`s War with Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival On China China Rich Girlfriend The White Road: A Journey Into Obsession China`s Museums Mao`s Great Famine: The History of China`s Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-62 A Brief History of China: Dynasty, Revolution and Transformation: From the Middle Kingdom to the People`s Republic Restless Empire: China and the World Since 1750 China`s World: The Foreign Policy of the World`s Newest Superpower China: An Epic Novel Dealing with China The Scramble for China – Foreign Devils in the Qing Empire, 1832-1914 A Naturalist`s Guide to the Birds of China: Southeast China, Including Shanghai The Story of China: A portrait of a civilisation and its people The Penguin History of Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850 to the Present, Third Edition Default ThumbnailList of Lights Vol p – North part of South China & Eastern Archipelagic Seas, plus Western part of East China, Philippine & Yellow Sea, including Taiwan The Search for Ancient China Leftover in China: The Women Shaping the World`s Next Superpower The New Emperors: Power and the Princelings in China China A to Z Default ThumbnailChina: The Middle Kingdom Gandhi 1914-1948: The Years That Changed the World A History of China