To Rule All under Heaven: A History of Classical China, from Confucius to the First Emperor [Hardcover]

To Rule All under Heavenoffers an illuminating history of the Warring States period (481-221 BCE), a foundational era of Chinese civilization. It begins in the life of Confucius and extends to the reign of the First Emperor, who founded an empire that would become one of the longest-enduring political systems in human history. Andrew Seth Meyer recounts a detailed history that is replete with dramatic stories and characters and shows how a radically new social order was formed through war, diplomacy, commerce, philosophy, literature, science, and artistic expression.The first ever comprehensive history in English of China's Warring States period, an era that saw epic battles, the birth of profound philosophies, groundbreaking innovations, and shaped much of East Asian culture as we know it todayIn 481 BCE, ancient China was on the cusp of one of the most profound revolutions any society has ever undergone, one that would set the course of world history for the following two millennia and a half. The ruling order that had been set up by the Zhou kings almost six centuries before was disintegrating. While the Zhou realm was populous, wealthy, and blessed with a sophisticated and already ancient culture, the basic institutions that structured social and spiritual life were in radical decay. The world was literally falling apart.The following two-hundred and sixty years saw the largest civilization on earth reinvent and recreate itself. Through war, diplomacy, debate, commerce, philosophy, literature, science, and artistic expression, the people of the Warring States gave birth to a radically new social order. The era saw the emergence of Confucianism and Daoism, the composition of seminal texts such asThe Art of War by Master Sunand theBook of Changes, and the codification of Chinese script into its current form. It also saw the initial building of the Great Wall and the canal system that would become the Grand Canal, as welll£Ò