Chinese history refers to the history of China from the birth of Chinese civilization (中华文明) to the present. The Xia period of Neolithic Erligang Culture (新石器时代二里岗文化) was already present by 2070 BC (approximately 4,100 years ago). The first unification of China took place in 221 BC under the Qin Dynasty (approximately 2240 years ago). As such, China has a very long history.
The book, Chinese History 1, a Chinese reading practice book, presents a broad and simple overview of Chinese history. In the accompanied book chapters, you'll learn the history of China starting from the prehistory until the Modern China era. The volume, 11th in the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series, includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin. With about 900 unique characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6). Overall, the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series offers you a variety of elementary level books (Level 1/2) to learn Chinese culture as well as practice Chinese reading fast.
The book has 12 chapters in the following order:
Chapter 1: Timeline of Chinese History (第一章：中国历史时间表)
Chapter 2: Chinese Dynasties (第二章：中国历代王朝)
Chapter 3: Prehistoric China (第三章：史前中国)
Chapter 4: Ancient China (第四章：古代中国)
Chapter 5: Unified Feudal Dynasty (第五章：统一的封建王朝)
Chapter 6: The Dark Age of China (第六章：中国的黑暗时代)
Chapter 7: Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty (第七章：隋朝 与 唐朝)
Chapter 8: Song Dynasty (第八章：宋朝)
Chapter 9: Yuan Dynasty (第九章：元朝)
Chapter 10: Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty (第十章：明朝 与 清朝)
Chapter 11: The Republic of China (第十一章：中华民国时代)
Chapter 12: Modern China (第十二章：近代中国)
