--- product_id: 4500210 title: "The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China)" price: "VT12060" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/4500210-the-early-chinese-empires-qin-and-han-history-of-imperial store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China) **Price:** VT12060 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China) - **How much does it cost?** VT12060 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/4500210-the-early-chinese-empires-qin-and-han-history-of-imperial) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China) [Lewis, Mark Edward, Brook, Timothy] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China) Review: Early Chinese Prototypes - Mark Edward Lewis inaugurates Harvard University’s ‘History of Imperial China’ series in this first installment. The major themes are set, and the format will remain mostly consistent over six volumes and three authors. Generally 100 pages are dedicated to political and military history, and 200 to urban and rural life, foreigners, family, religion, literature and law. The aim is to synthesize these elements, rather than to provide discrete essays. Major dynasties (such as Han, Tang and Ming) are paired with pivotal ones (such as Qin, Sui and Yuan). Minor dynasties are glossed over in favor of brevity. Lewis begins with an inevitable comparison of the Han empire with the Roman empire, which co-existed during 27 BC to 229 AD. He sees a distinction in the Chinese empire’s ‘ability to reform itself again and again after periods of disunity’ due to a ‘reshaping of Chinese culture by the earliest dynasties, the Qin and the Han’. It is true that all later and even foreign dynasties (such as the Yuan and Qing) would adopt Han culture as their own. Lewis shows how future dynasties ‘cannot be understood without a grasp of China’s first period of unification’, as Western culture cannot without the Greco-Roman periods. The five major features of the Chinese classical period are defined by Lewis as: ‘regional cultures transcended but not eradicated’, a ‘political structure centered on the emperor’, a ‘state-sponsored script and literary canon’, ‘military activities assigned to people on the frontier’ and ‘wealthy families in the countryside who maintained order’. This last principle differed from Roman patricians in that the great Han families were not large landowners deriving wealth from tenant or slave workers. They were groups of relatives and associates who formed leagues able to augment the power of the state. The Han city had outer defense walls and an inner walled forbidden city. ‘Unlike Rome, where the ruler showed himself to the people, the ruler in China derived status from being invisible’, writes Lewis. While Rome had Latin and Greek for law and science, the Qin invented non-alphabetic symbols so that different languages could share the same written words. ‘Pliny complained that all of Rome’s gold was flowing east to pay for silk’. Silk was used by China to pay for nomadic military confederates. ‘Whereas the stone ruins of Rome survived, the capitals of China burned when a new dynasty took control.’ Lewis, as with his other two volumes in the series, is consummately erudite. When he discusses the material in the topical sections, he provides readings from the ancient sources his text is based on. This is a cut above mere footnotes, engaging the reader in his process of interpretation, and revealing the lens the ancient past is being viewed with. Usually this is ’through a glass darkly’, but happily the Chinese (like the Romans) had a great wealth of historical and other literature to draw from. He is a generalist in Chinese history, equally at home with religion and arts as with war and law. A tour de force. Review: A comprehensible history of Early China - If your eyes glaze over at the discussions of the interminable battles of the Warring States and Spring and Autumn periods of Chinese history. This is the book for you. Lewis presents the history of the early Chinese empires and their precursors in comprehensible fashion with enough background information to help the reader organize what happened. If you're interested in the early history of China, this is a good place to start. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #108,839 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in History of Ancient China #90 in Chinese History (Books) #166 in History of Civilization & Culture | | Book 1 of 6 | History of imperial China | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (212) | | Dimensions | 6.12 x 0.9 x 9.25 inches | | Edition | Illustrated | | ISBN-10 | 0674057341 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0674057340 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 336 pages | | Publication date | October 30, 2010 | | Publisher | Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press | ## Images ![The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91JOa3pZm5L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Early Chinese Prototypes *by D***R on April 16, 2019* Mark Edward Lewis inaugurates Harvard University’s ‘History of Imperial China’ series in this first installment. The major themes are set, and the format will remain mostly consistent over six volumes and three authors. Generally 100 pages are dedicated to political and military history, and 200 to urban and rural life, foreigners, family, religion, literature and law. The aim is to synthesize these elements, rather than to provide discrete essays. Major dynasties (such as Han, Tang and Ming) are paired with pivotal ones (such as Qin, Sui and Yuan). Minor dynasties are glossed over in favor of brevity. Lewis begins with an inevitable comparison of the Han empire with the Roman empire, which co-existed during 27 BC to 229 AD. He sees a distinction in the Chinese empire’s ‘ability to reform itself again and again after periods of disunity’ due to a ‘reshaping of Chinese culture by the earliest dynasties, the Qin and the Han’. It is true that all later and even foreign dynasties (such as the Yuan and Qing) would adopt Han culture as their own. Lewis shows how future dynasties ‘cannot be understood without a grasp of China’s first period of unification’, as Western culture cannot without the Greco-Roman periods. The five major features of the Chinese classical period are defined by Lewis as: ‘regional cultures transcended but not eradicated’, a ‘political structure centered on the emperor’, a ‘state-sponsored script and literary canon’, ‘military activities assigned to people on the frontier’ and ‘wealthy families in the countryside who maintained order’. This last principle differed from Roman patricians in that the great Han families were not large landowners deriving wealth from tenant or slave workers. They were groups of relatives and associates who formed leagues able to augment the power of the state. The Han city had outer defense walls and an inner walled forbidden city. ‘Unlike Rome, where the ruler showed himself to the people, the ruler in China derived status from being invisible’, writes Lewis. While Rome had Latin and Greek for law and science, the Qin invented non-alphabetic symbols so that different languages could share the same written words. ‘Pliny complained that all of Rome’s gold was flowing east to pay for silk’. Silk was used by China to pay for nomadic military confederates. ‘Whereas the stone ruins of Rome survived, the capitals of China burned when a new dynasty took control.’ Lewis, as with his other two volumes in the series, is consummately erudite. When he discusses the material in the topical sections, he provides readings from the ancient sources his text is based on. This is a cut above mere footnotes, engaging the reader in his process of interpretation, and revealing the lens the ancient past is being viewed with. Usually this is ’through a glass darkly’, but happily the Chinese (like the Romans) had a great wealth of historical and other literature to draw from. He is a generalist in Chinese history, equally at home with religion and arts as with war and law. A tour de force. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A comprehensible history of Early China *by R***K on April 2, 2013* If your eyes glaze over at the discussions of the interminable battles of the Warring States and Spring and Autumn periods of Chinese history. This is the book for you. Lewis presents the history of the early Chinese empires and their precursors in comprehensible fashion with enough background information to help the reader organize what happened. If you're interested in the early history of China, this is a good place to start. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An excellent introduction to Chinese history *by W***N on June 1, 2018* Positive: An excellent introduction to Chinese history. You can still see the Qin/Han imprint on Communist China today with the CCCP's emphasis on social stability and rigid focus on the supremacy of the state. Negative: Many illustrations left out of the Kindle edition. Recommendation: Watch 'The Qin Empire: Alliance' on Netflix for a visual treat of this period of history. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Early Chinese Empires – Qin and Han Volume 1 (History of Imperial China) - Chinas Cosmopolitan Empire – The Tang Dynasty: 3 (History of Imperial China) - The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/4500210-the-early-chinese-empires-qin-and-han-history-of-imperial](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/4500210-the-early-chinese-empires-qin-and-han-history-of-imperial) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*