*Thanks to Prof. Meyer for sharing the news about this book.
Author: Andrew Seth Meyer
Publication year: 2026
Publisher: Oxford
Abstract:
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 today In 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 as The Art of War by Master Sun and the Book 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 well as the invention of the crossbow--which would not be invented in Europe for another 1,500 years--and the origin of acupuncture and feng shui.
This dynamic period coincided with the lives of global figures such as the Buddha, Socrates, and the prophet Ezra, beginning during Confucius's lifetime and culminating with the reign of the First Emperor, whose tomb is famously guarded by the terra cotta soldiers. The Persian Wars and the conquests of Alexander the Great are well known to people in Europe and America;
however, far fewer English-language books have attempted to cover this same and equally important period in East Asia. To Rule All under Heaven corrects this imbalance by recounting a detailed history that is replete with dramatic stories and characters. The result is a thorough and entertaining account of one of the most fertile and significant periods in world history.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1. Lords and Master: The States of Qi and Lu
2. Song of the South: The States of Wu, Chu, and Yue
3. The Partition: The State of Jin
4. Heaven’s Whim versus Heaven’s Will: The Extended Zhou Realm
5. The Prince: The State of Wei
6. Wanderers: The Extended Zhou Realm
7. The Altars of the Soil and Grain are Closer than Kin: The State of Qi
8. The West’s Awake: The State of Qin
9. The Marquis Who Would Be King: The State of Wei
10. We Kings: The Extended Zhou Realm
11. Better to Give: The State of Qi and the Greater Zhou Realm
12. The Harder They Fall: The State of Qi
13. The Duel: The States of Zhao and Qin
14. Gilded Age: The Various Zhou States
15. Unification: The Kingdom of Qin and the Former Zhou States
Epilogue and Conclusions
