v. I. Preface to the fourth edition ; Geography and its influence on the Chinese ; The beginnings of Chinese civilization (to 221 B.C.) ; The formation of the empire : the Ch'in and Han dynasties (221 B.C.-A.D. 220) ; A striking change : divisions, foreign invasions, and cultural innovations from the close of the Han to the beginning of the Sui Dynasty (A.D. 220-589) ; Reunion and renewed advance : the Sui (A.D. 589-618) and T'ang (A.D. 618-907) dynasties ; Political weakness but cultural brilliance : the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms (A.D. 907-960) : the Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279) ; China under the rule of the Mongols (A.D. 1279-1368) ; China again under Chinese rule : the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) ; The Ch'ing (Manchu) Dynasty : its heyday and the beginning of its decline (A.D. 1644-1838) ; The transformation wrought by the impact of the Occident : I. The empire is shaken by wars with western European powers and the resulting treaties and by internal rebellions (A.D. 1839-1860) ; The transformation wrought by the impact of the Occident : II. Partial recovery from the shocks of the preceding two decades : the restoration of internal order but the slow permeation of the empire by Occidental trade and ideas and the failure to accommodate the old to the new (A.D. 1861-1893) ; The transformation wrought by the impact of the Occident : III. The crumbling of the structure of the old culture and the fore- shadowings of the new (A.D. 1894-1945) ; The transformation wrought by the impact of the Occident : IV. The Communists capture the mainland and undertake the thorough remaking of China (A.D. 1945- ) -- v. II. The Chinese people : racial composition ; Government ; Economic life and organization ; Religion ; Social life and organization ; Art ; Language, literature, and education ; By way of summary ; Proper names and Chinese words used in the text and their corresponding characters.