China has a long and brilliant history.Its documented history is coherent for 3 ,000 years and its undocumented history is clearly inherited orally for5，000 years.Archyological discoveries can date back its history to 7，000 years and trace all st ages of human development to 500，000 years.Its histor y has never been interrupted or deminished，and it’s cer t ainly not a civilization suddenly discovered after many decades or dynasties.Although China has gone through stagnation and aggression in the modern times，she nevertheless has been playing an important role at the heart of the world’s stage.Her history and culture，together with her rivers and mountains，possess infinite charm，which is also the soft power of China.The world has been observing the revival miracle of China for the past thirty years，at the same time paying more and more attention to China’s unique history and culture.People try to find the historic origin of China’s progress，and they tr y to find solutions and lessons for the Occident’s decline.The glory resides both in her history and in her present.The world’s spotlight has focused on this ancient and young country.Thousands of foreign friends come to visit China to see her present and her past.They are attracted by her social development as well as by her beautiful landscapes.
In this book I will take the readers to a journey into the Chinese history，to visit the historic sites and ruins，to meet the historic figures，to feel the glory of history itself.The relics include palaces，temples，mausoleums，ancient housings，steles，sculptures，frescos，fortifications，irrigation works，ancient roadways and ferries，archaeological sites，and cultural relics.They are scattered all over China’s vast territory and indicate dif ferent historical periods.They just about cover all the stages and dynasties of the Chinese history.They are locatedspecifically near and around cities like Beijing，Xi’an，Luoyang，Kaifeng，Nanjing，Hangzhou，Anyang，Chengdu，and Qufu.I have also included some very important works which weigh as much as the historic sites and can be regarded as the starting point of a certain piece of history.At each historic site，there are often cultural relics from different times.For example in Beijing，there is the Zhoukoudian site from ancient times and there are also palaces of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.There is the Great Wall that was built in the Qin Dynasty and lasted through the Ming Dynasty till today.Around Xi’an，there is the Banpo site from pre-history as well as mausoleums from the Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty，and palaces of the Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty.These historic sites have become indispensable parts of the Chinese landscape and famous touring sites.This book introduces the places and what happened at these places in history at the same time.So it’s a historic touring guide and a geographic history pamphlet.The characteristic differentiate it from general touring routes and is a good reference for a journey into the Chinese history.
I have selected twenty some significant historic sites to introduce thoroughly.Connecting these sites one can find the outline of the Chinese histor y.When we travel to a certain famous historic city，we can also recognize its positioning and the role it played in history.Thus，we get an experience of cruising on the river of history.