Barbarians and the Birth of Chinese Identity: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Yuan Dynasty (907–1368)

During this time period, China went through vast cultural changes, transforming from a disparate collection of local tribes to a population unified under an overarching sense of Chinese identity. Barbarian tribes invaded, overthrowing the government, but the peasantry felt very little change from one regime to the next. Some governors realized the lack of a national identity kept their soldiers and others from feeling any sense of loyalty to any particular regime. The religions being developed throughout this time – Confucianism, Toaism, and the newest, Buddhism – also influenced both the governments and the peasantry in various ways. Eventually a unified Chinese identity coalesced as a reaction to those who were seen as “not-Chinese,” helped along by other cultural factors such as the development of printing.

This book covers a huge time period, full of revolutions, wars, and other conflicts, and dizzying changes. Chinese history is a vast subject, but Jing Liu has a skillful ability to condense it all into an interesting and manageable narrative. His illustrations help the reader follow the various dynasties as he follows the threads that lead from the beginning to the end of this period. For beginners to Chinese history, this is an invaluable resource.