China: Understanding Its Past

I am a public school teacher and have been looking for materials on China for my Asian Studies course. I was at my wits end using materials meant for a world history course. Coverage of Asia was minimal and reading level was for 11th or 12th grade. I needed something that both 9th graders and 12th graders could use. This book is perfect. The reading level is appropriate for 9th graders, but the assessment and evaluation activities allow for higher level critical thinking skills. The students really enjoy the stories told from a personal perspective and the explanations for the historical context. And, as if that weren't enough, the book is reasonably priced. Teachers are used to high prices for textbooks. This textbook is very reasonably priced. I will be ordering a classroom set of books for my class in July.

This is a well-researched and very usable book for teachers of students in grades 7-12. I bought this book and used it as a supplemental text for our unit on China and students and their parents raved about it. The sections on culture in China were particularly useful for middle school students: daughters, sons, parents in traditional China. The major highlight was its fair and deep analysis of Footbinding in China. Students come away with a very good knowledge of Chinese history and culture. I recommend this book without reservation!