History comes alive in your hands

Written by six British historians and writers, the book has also been published in Italian, Japanese, Slovak, and Croatian besides English and Chinese.

Readers can appreciate the magnificent Terracotta Warriors from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), splendid ancient architecture represented by the Forbidden City, and delicate porcelain, gold ornaments and silk while understanding the history-changing manufacturing technologies of compass and gunpowder and ancient craftspeople's ingenuity in silk weaving, printing and iron smelting.

The Chinese version comes out with what Zhao Dongmei, professor of history from Peking University, calls "a good timing". Zhao, alongside US Sinologist Edward L.Shaughnessy, is a consultant of the book.

By "a good timing", she says she means it is a time when Chinese young people have a different vision of the past and present, and China's development and international exchanges have reached a relatively high level.

It offers a perspective more international and modern into Chinese history, she says, paying much attention to culture, materials, and economy, including a great many photo archives about material civilization, she adds.

By "a more modern perspective", she refers to a perspective especially compared with traditional Chinese history books, "which usually focus more on politics or political systems".