Richly illustrated with photographs of historical heritage, this book chronicles 'major' events which led to the rise and fall of dynasties. The focus is also on historical figures such as a petty bureaucrat in the Qin dynasty, a writer who loved travelling, or a scholar-official who devoted himself to calligraphy and painting. In this way, the authors, all young historians, narrate stories about the history of ancient China: from the era of the Warring States (475-221 BC) when seven kingdoms wrestled with each other for supremacy to the unification of the country in the Qin dynasty (221-207 BC), from the period of Three Kingdoms (220-280) when it was divided again after the collapse of the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) to the massive Rebellion of An Lushan (755-763), which shook the Tang dynasty (618-907), and from the everyday life in the Song dynasty (960-1279) to the increased integration of ethnic groups to the transformation of the country in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1911) dynasties.

Who were Chinese? How did they become what they are today? What does it mean to be Chinese in a long run? The book attempts to address such issues that have been widely discussed.