Published in May 2006, this new publication offers a wealth of primary sources and lessons for teaching about ancient China.  Ideal for grades 5-9, and readily adaptable for high school students, the book comes with a CD-ROM. Book and CD only $49.95!

Book Highlights

Teachers will find:

• an introductory essay by Robert Murowchick, Research Associate Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology, Director of the International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History, Boston University
• 20 lessons on topics such as early Chinese mythology, Confucianism and other belief systems, family life, the arts, the voyages of Zheng He, and Chinese inventions.
• thematically arranged lessons, which can be taught independently or in a sequence that best meets the needs of individual classrooms
• dozens of suggested activities engaging students with primary source materials, including learning to read and write Chinese characters, practicing mapping skills, making cross-cultural connections, and writing poetry based on ancient Chinese models

CD-ROM Highlights

Teachers will find:

• more than 200 primary sources—ancient texts, scroll paintings, travelogues, images, poetry, photographs, and more
• Chinese music
• a comprehensive glossary and maps
• additional teacher resources
• an audio component providing the pronunciation of all key Chinese names

Here’s what teachers and scholars are saying about Enduring Legacy:

Primary Sources's The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China is a wonderful resource for teaching about a complex and often overwhelming subject. The readings have been carefully selected and are well translated, in language which is both scrupulously true to the original texts and accessible to young American readers. I found the student activities to be engaging and challenging. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of opportunities for students to pursue further research on their own, and the links which were made to contemporary concerns and issues. The connections between China's history and the changes taking place there today are especially important for students to understand, and Enduring Legacy highlights these effectively. — Kenneth Hammond, Associate Professor of History and Head of the History Department, New Mexico State University

The exceptional activities in Enduring Legacy promote critical thinking, co-operative learning, and engage multiple intelligences. As a fourth grade teacher, I found activities appropriate or adaptable for upper elementary levels. The primary sources provided on the CD save valuable teacher time and support student proclivity for interaction with technology for research. — Elsie Wu, Andover Public Schools

A comprehensive primer, The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China covers all the major areas of Chinese culture and civilization. It has well-crafted presentations of facts and a veritable treasure trove of classroom applications, from clear student objectives and relevant key questions to rich supplementary materials, primary sources, and guided activities. The book is an invaluable aid for teaching China to youngsters and teenagers.

— Livia Kohn, Professor of Religion, Boston University

For teachers looking to explore ancient China in new and creative ways, Enduring Legacy's lesson plans provide helpful overviews of time periods, interesting primary source documents, and engaging activities.  The lessons are a refreshing and much needed break from the overgeneralization that is found in many textbooks.  Through perspective taking and tackling big questions, students and teachers alike will learn a great deal from these accessible documents and activities.

— Rachel Zucker, teacher at Burlington High School, doctoral candidate Boston University

The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China is an exceptional textbook intended for secondary school educators and students, as well as for the general audience. The book is a sensitively conceived and thoughtfully discoursed work that shows, with ample illustrations, how China of antiquity continues to live on and have an impact on one quarter of the human race who live in the Middle Kingdom that "China" means. One of the salient features of the book is its multi-disciplinary approach to a host of issues and questions that need to be raised in order to foster a good, critical understanding of China.

In many corners of the United States, and at many levels, China is generating a great deal of attention. The country is again emerging as a major world power in every way. In my view, the best way to introduce contemporary China is to go back to its past. For, while the West often sees the past as something to grow out of, China continues to seek in her past models, lessons, for the future.

China's prominence necessitates the expansion of the secondary school curricula and teacher training to include China. At such a critical moment in American education, I find no better introductory textbook than The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China. I recommend it highly, with no reservation.   — T. James Kodera, Professor of Religion, and Co-director, East Asian Studies, Wellesley College