Over thousands of years, China has influenced food, trade, military tactics, aesthetics, and philosophy all around the world?from kung fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk. Chinese history is vast and utterly disorganised. It is chock-full of heroes who double as villains, affluent eras and bloody uprisings, cultural vibrancy and censorious impulses, devoted followers and rebels, and wits. Seldom is the history of women in China, from the earliest warriors to the suffragettes of the twentieth century, told. The People's Republic is nevertheless plagued by the ghosts of past corruption and division, which have brought down many powerful monarchies. Contemporary China is viewed in a variety of ways, such as an aggressive superpower seeking global dominance, an economic titan, an urbanisation icon, a propaganda state, and more. Linda Jaivin separates a vast history into a short, readable account that tells you what you need to know, from China?s philosophical origins to its political system, to the COVID-19 pandemic and where the PRC is likely to lead the world.