Hanson Chan

Chinese History Made Easy Hanson Chan

Publisher Marketing: This is the Chinese original of the popular version of Chinese History Made Easy (volume 2: The Modern Time) by Hanson Chan . The author stresses that Chinese history is easy, and that it is easy to learn, easy to understand, and easy to remember. In his two books on China, the author shows the readers a simple way of how easy it can be. For an overall outline, he has divided the entire five thousand years of history of China into three sections. Consecutively, they are: (1) The Ancient Period, (2) The Imperial Ages, and (3) The Modern Times. In which the Ancient Period deals with the section of its myths and origins, and its ancestors and rulers before the Qin Dynasty was formed in 221 BC. The Imperial Ages tells the section began with the First Emperor of China who was enthroned in 221 BC during the Qin Dynasty until the Last Emperor who abdicated under the Qing Dynasty in 1912. As for the section of the Modern Times, the author discusses the events that had happened after the Revolution in 1911 till the days of the present. In his easy-to-follow presentation, the author has purposely introduced three "conceptual imageries" for readers to relate to the historical progress of the entire span in Chinese history. Each has its own feature for the readers to recall its characteristic. One for each section, they are great helps to reinforce one's memory. Throughout the pages of these two volumes, he has selected and focused systematically on important events and major figures for discussion according to their similarities and differences. In addition, he uses simple arithmetic to recall historical dates, and concentrates on lessons of successes and failures that have shaped the continuity of Chinese culture as a whole. It is the written style and simplicity of the book that has attracted numerous readers of the young in China ever since its first publication in 2008. Contributor Bio:  Chan, Hanson Hanson Chan, writer of Chinese novels and screenplays, was born in Taishan, Guangdong Province, China. He grew up in Hong Kong, received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Maryland and his Master's in Asian Studies from Seton Hall University in USA. He was a reporter, editor, and feature columnist for Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong and New York City. Chinese History Made Easy was originally published in Chinese in 2008, and its second edition in 2011by Xinhua Publishing in Beijing, China. He is also credited and known for his martial arts screenplays: "Swordsman II ," "Once Upon a Time in China II, III, IV," and a series of action novels on Chinese martial arts, "Hua Hu, Book I: The Forbidden Scripture; Hua Hu, Book II: The Thunder Spell." He lives with his wife, Lan, in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, USA.