China Simplified: History Flashback

Better understand today’s China with this entertaining guide to its history. Ideal for business persons who want to raise their China games, students who seek deeper cultural connections, and travelers in search of valuable insights.

Authors Stewart Lee Beck and Sun Zhumin have collaborated in China for over 20 years to produce innovative content for diverse audiences. As experienced storytellers, they capture the essence of five millenniums of Chinese history – the revolutionary ideas of its most celebrated philosophers, the bold visions of its dauntless leaders, and the pivotal events which shaped the modern nation – all in this beautifully-illustrated, fast-read volume of under 200 pages.

The China Simplified book series explores and demystifies the country and its people for the rest of the world. By shifting our collective attention beyond the 1% (hot-button issues in the mass media) to the other 99% (relevant conversations about history, language, business, and more), the China Simplified team hopes to raise cultural awareness and increase mutual understanding.

PRAISE FOR HISTORY FLASHBACK

"You'll enjoy yourself so much you might not realize how much you're learning."
— Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, University of Oxford

"This is the history book for people that didn't know they love history!”
— Yue-Sai Kan, Chinese American television host and producer

"A delightful romp through 5,000 years of Chinese history."
— Andrew Browne, China columnist, The Wall Street Journal

"A clean, clear line to the main developments in China's history... entertaining and enlightening.”
— James Fallows, The Atlantic

"Those who want to understand China can now do it with ease."
— Jesse Wu, International Vice President, Johnson & Johnson

"Makes five millenniums of Chinese civilization accessible to readers of all levels.”
— James B. Heimowitz, President, China Institute

"Stewart and Zhumin both entertain and inform as storytellers."
— Brantley Turner, American Principal, Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School

"An exciting tour through a long, varied and fascinating history."
— James Uden, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Boston University

"Both informative and fun; a masterstroke!"
— Bruno Lannes, Partner at a well-known consulting company in China

READER BENEFITS

• Connect Eastern history with Western history and visualize key world events on a Chinese history timeline.
• Prepare for China travel with something more satisfying than a superficial China travel guide.
• Peer into the origins of ancient China and the legends of Chinese culture (the Yellow Emperor, the Chinese dragon, China’s Adam & Eve, and more) dating back through 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.
• Grasp the Chinese philosophy of Confucius (Kongzi), Lao-Tzu (Laozi), Sun-Tzu (Sunzi, famous for The Art of War), and Mencius (Mengzi) whose lives paralleled those of Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and the Buddha.
• Discover how the Great Wall of China compares to the Star Wars missile defense system.
• Meet China’s only female emperor, who it’s been said kept a Buddhist monk as a boyfriend (oh my!).
• Appreciate Tang poetry as an artistic phenomenal analogous to a modern collision of rap and jazz.
• Find out how China came to produce 85% of the world’s opium.
• Better understand how modern China’s leaders such as Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan), Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi), Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping drew from the lessons of Chinese emperors and ancient Chinese dynasties even as they sought to build a modern nation.

The China Simplified team hopes you enjoy History Flashback!

Stewart Lee Beck has worked in China since 1992 as a marketing director, bartender, magazine columnist, philanthropist, screenwriter, and documentary producer. This diversity of experience, coupled with his endless fascination with Chinese history and culture, fueled his second book, History Flashback.

Sun Zhumin pursues her storytelling dreams as a producer, screenwriter, editor, and translator in her native China. During the creation of this book, her first, Zhumin had imaginary conversations with ancestors, received input from her two kids, and debated it with her history-buff husband.