An essential dual-purpose handbook on imperial China: a highly readable popular history and a unique work of reference. Contents include: • Biographical accounts of all 157 emperors of China • Timelines throughout with visual guides to the length and important events of each emperor`s reign • Datafiles for every emperor listing key information • Extensive quotations from contemporary sources • Many special features ranging from the Great Wall to the Opium War • Maps detailing, for example, the Silk Roads and the maritime expeditions of the Ming Dynasty