Photographs and artwork chronicle three thousand years of Chinese history, from the earliest dynasty to the twentieth century, and examine some of the contributions China has made to the world.

Among Arthur Cotterell's historical books are?Chariot,?The Minoan World,?A Dictionary of World Mythology,?The Penguin Encyclopedia of Classical Civilizations,?The Pimlico Dictionary of Classical Civilizations,?The Pimlico Dictionary of Classical Mythologies,?and Eyewitness:?Ancient China.