Download or read book The Dragon Throne written by Jonathan Fenby and published by Quercus. This book was released on 2015-07-02 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They were the most powerful rulers on earth. The mighty Qin Shi Huangdu (r. 221-210 BC), who began the construction of the Great Wall. The long-lived Han emperor Wudi (r. 141-87 BC), who developed China as a centralized Confucian state. The soldier-scholar Yongle (r. 1402-24 AD), who raised the Ming dynasty to its military peak. The dowager empress Cixi (r. 1861-1908 AD), who rose from humble Manchu origins to rule over all China. In The Dragon Throne, Jonathan Fenby tells the extraordinary story of imperial China through its 157 emperors, from Qin Shi Huangdu, who crushed his rivals to take supreme power as the first emperor in 221BC, until the final collapse of the faltering Manchu dynasty amidst the revolutionary chaos of the early twentieth century. The final emperor, the infant Puyi (r. 1908-12) ended his days as an assistant gardener in the very palace where he had been enthroned.
Download or read book When China Ruled the Seas written by Louise Levathes and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2014-12-02 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One hundred years before Columbus and his fellow Europeans began their voyages of discovery, fleets of giant junks commanded by the eunuch admiral Zheng He and filled with the empire’s finest porcelains, lacquerware, and silk ventured to the world’s “four corners.” Seven epic expeditions brought China’s treasure ships across the China Seas and Indian Ocean, from Japan to the spice island of Indonesia and the Malabar Coast of India, on to the rich ports of the Persian Gulf and down the East African coast, to China’s “El Dorado,” and perhaps even to Australia, three hundred years before Captain Cook’s landing. It was a time of exploration and expansion, but it ended in a retrenchment so complete that less than a century later, it was a crime to go to sea in a multimasted ship. In When China Ruled the Seas, Louise Levathes takes a fascinating and unprecedented look at this dynamic period in China’s enigmatic history, focusing on the country’s rise as a naval power that briefly brought half the world under its nominal authority. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, official Ming histories, and African, Arab, and Indian sources, many translated for the first time, Levathes brings readers inside China’s most illustrious scientific and technological era. She sheds new light on the historical and cultural context in which this great civilization thrived, as well as the perception of China by other contemporary cultures. Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, When China Ruled the Seas is the fullest picture yet of the early Ming dynasty—the last flowering of Chinese culture before the Manchu invasion.
Download or read book Ruling from the Dragon Throne written by John Vollmer and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Toward the end of nearly 2,000 years of imperial rule in China, the last dynasty, designated Qing, was led by the ethnically and culturally distinct Manchu people. The Manchu established a political organization using clothing fashioned after their nomadic roots to signify status and identity. Author John E. Vollmer details the characteristics of Manchu dynasty costume and its political, social, and cultural significance and influence in Chinese history. Included are descriptions of the various designs and symbology on the cloth, as well as diagrams illustrating garment-making technology and construction features, comprehensive notes, a bibliography, map, and chronology. A fascinating look at clothing and its strategic role in the politics of conquest, this book is an invaluable resource for scholars and collectors alike. Illustrated throughout, including private collection pieces photographed for the first time.
Download or read book When China Ruled the Seas written by Louise Levathes and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Stone of the Stars written by Alison Baird and published by Aspect. This book was released on 2007-07-31 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fresh, new Canadian author, who is comparable to Marion Zimmer Bradley, debuts a brand new fantasy trilogy for all ages. The quest is on to find the coveted Stone of the Stars on the mystical isle of Trynisia, once a place where humans dwelt side by side with dragons. Four have set off on their journey to reach it-Ailia, a daydreaming bookworm; Damion, a devoted missionary; Jomar, a half-breed soldier-slave; and Lorelyn, quite possibly a prophesied savior, who will one day guide her people ina battle against the Dark God. But can they reach the isle and the Stone of the Stars before the tyrannical God-King Khalazar finds it and uses it to rule the world?
Download or read book The Dragon Throne written by Chrys Cymri and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-08-15 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'You have only one part of the Summoning Ring, ' said the dragon to Fianna. 'And neither the knowledge nor the strength to use it even if it were complete.' Fianna is the only child of King Stannard and Queen Fiona, and has always expected to become the next Keeper of the Dragon Throne. She exiles herself from court when her father decides to take a second wife. Recalled to Secondus castle after Stannard's death, she has to contend with the split loyalties among the royal knights. In desperation, she agrees to summon the dragons to support her claim to the throne. Their challenge sends her to meet them in their Sacred Mountains. In the woods of the unicorn herd, the Prancer loses his milk-brother to an attack by a dragon. He travels across the human kingdoms to seek the killer, discovering the complexities of human relationships and the delights of ale along the way. They meet at the Sacred Mountains. And so begins a story of love, friendship--and betrayal.
Download or read book House of Dragons written by Jessica Cluess and published by Random House Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2020-05-12 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Five royal houses will hear the call to compete in the Trial for the dragon throne. A liar, a soldier, a servant, a thief, and a murderer will answer it. Who will win? Three Dark Crowns meets The Breakfast Club with DRAGONS. When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year these five outcasts will answer the call... THE LIAR: Emilia must hide her dark magic or be put to death. THE SOLDIER: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn to never lift a sword again. THE SERVANT: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game. THE THIEF: Ajax knows that nothing is free--he must take what he wants. THE MURDERER: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.
Download or read book The Dragon Throne written by Jonathan Fenby and published by Quercus Books. This book was released on 2008 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From 221 BC - when Shi Huangdi, First Emperor and founding father of Chinese imperial history, unified a large part of the Han Chinese homeland - until 1911, when imperial China collapsed in revolutionary chaos, China was ruled by a succession of powerful imperial dynasties. The Dragon Throne tells their rich, complex and often turbulent story, from the inception of the Qin dynasty to the fall of the Manchu in the early 20th century. China's imperial dynasties display a recurring pattern of birth, growth, prosperity and collapse due to external pressures. A number of powerful emperors left a particularly strong imprint on this troubled history, whether as conquerors, consolidators, tyrants, reformers or reactionaries. At the heart of The Dragon Throne are vivid profiles of Shi Huangdi, the emperor who began the construction of the Great Wall; Han Wudi, the Han emperor who developed China as a centralized Confucian state; Kublai Khan, the first emperor of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, and Hongwu, the founder of the Ming dynasty.
Download or read book The Dragon Throne written by Alison Baird and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Beijing Opera Costumes written by Alexandra B Bonds and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-01-17 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beijing Opera Costumes: The Visual Communication of Character and Culture illuminates the links between theatrical attire and social customs and aesthetics of China, covering both the theory and practice of stage dress. Distinguishing attributes include an introduction to the performance style, the delineation of the costume conventions, an analysis of the costumes through their historical precedents and theatrical modifications, and the use of garment shape, color, and embroidery for symbolic effect. Practical information covers dressing the performers and a costume plot, the design and creation of the make-up and hairstyles, and pattern drafts of the major garments. Photographs from live performances, as well as details of embroidery, and close-up photographs of the headdresses thoroughly portray the stunning beauty of this incomparable performance style. Presenting the brilliant colors of the elaborately embroidered silk costumes together with the intricate makeup and glittering headdresses, this volume embodies the elegance of the Beijing opera.
Download or read book Dressed to Rule written by John E. Vollmer and published by University of Alberta. This book was released on 2007-10-15 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FRONT FLAP Art takes many forms and serves many functions. In this selection of Chinese court dress dating from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), the phrase "you are what you wear" resonates. Vollmer journeys back to thirteenth-century Jin dynasty Chinese empire, where ancestors of the Manchu conquerors dressed fittingly. These beautiful garments remind us that although royalty once set fashion standards in the way that celebrities do today, these robes also promoted distinct national and political messages that helped to keep a ruling minority in power for nearly three hundred years. Over fifty colour photographs, including details of exquisitely wrought robes for members of the imperial Qing court, period portraits, and details from a rare hand scroll illustrating the Chinese emperor's tour of cities along the Grand Canal, bring Dressed to Rule: 18th Century Court Attire in the Mactaggart Art Collection to life. Vollmer's text illuminates the history of the political, cultural, and social developments behind the pageantry, deepening our appreciation for the rich and complex history of China. Dressed to Rule is a guide to the exhibition of the same name--the first public showing of the University of Alberta's magnificent Mactaggart Art Collection. BACK COVER "This selection of Qing dynasty imperial robes and accessories from the Mactaggart Art Collection, dating from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, is most closely connected in time to the Qianlong emperor's court dress reforms. In them we can discern and deconstruct the workings of the Manchu state over a century and a half in its efforts to strike a balance between issues of national identity and the imperatives of a universal image of Chinese imperial authority. The flexibility, expediency, and diligence that we observe in the Manchu search for identity, and the willingness to adjust that image, resulted in a remarkably stable and powerful dynasty, which held sway over the most expansive and diverse empire ever achieved in Chinese history." --John Vollmer BACK FLAP John E. Vollmer is an internationally recognized curator and scholar in the fields of Asian art, textiles and costumes, decorative arts, and design. He is author of thirty museum exhibition catalogues and numerous academic and popular books and articles. He has held curatorial appointments at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, and at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. He served as director of the Kent State University Museum, Kent, Ohio and was the founding executive director of the Design Exchange in Toronto. Since 1991, he has worked as a consultant and President of Vollmer Cultural Consultants Inc., which specializes in exhibition design and gallery and museum planning. He has advised, studied and written about the Mactaggart textile and costume collection for over thirty years.
Download or read book Sea Currents in Nineteenth Century Art Science and Culture written by Kathleen Davidson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2023-03-09 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did scientists, artists, designers, manufacturers and amateur enthusiasts experience and value the sea and its products? Examining the commoditization of the ocean world during the nineteenth century, this book demonstrates how the transaction of oceanic objects inspired a multifaceted material discourse stemming from scientific exploration, colonial expansion, industrialization, and the rise of middle-class leisure. From the seashore to the seabed, marine organisms and environments, made tangible through processing and representational technologies, captivated practitioners and audiences. Combining essays and case studies by scholars, curators, and scientists, Sea Currents investigates the collecting and display, illustration and ornamentation, and trade and consumption of marine flora and fauna, analysing their material, aesthetic and commercial dimensions. Traversing global art history, the history of science, empire studies, anthropology, ecocriticism and material culture, this book surveys the currency of marine matter embedded in the economies and ecologies of a modernizing ocean world.
Download or read book Tail of the Dragon the Chronicles of Dragon Series 2 Book 1 written by Craig Halloran and published by Two-Ten Book Press. This book was released on 2015-09-10 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The continuation of the Best Selling Chronicles of Dragon series is here! The search begins ... Nath Dragon triumphed over his greatest foe, Gorn Grattack, bringing peace and order back to the world of Nalzambor ... mostly. Now, bored of ruling from the Dragon throne, Nath and his dwarven comrade Brenwar Bolderguild, set out to solve one of the greatest mysteries of all. Who and where is Nath's mother? Does she even exist? Is she imprisoned? Still yet, evil is far from vanquished. It lurks in the caves, the mountains, the shadows and in deep in the hearts of all the races. It's not long before it takes on a new powerful manifestation, a breed of dragons the likes never seen before. How many dangers must Nath and his colleagues face? What path must Nath take to find out the truth? How high is the toll? Is he willing to pay it?
Download or read book The Global Lives of Things written by Anne Gerritsen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-11-19 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Global Lives of Things considers the ways in which ‘things’, ranging from commodities to works of art and precious materials, participated in the shaping of global connections in the period 1400-1800. By focusing on the material exchange between Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia, this volume traces the movements of objects through human networks of commerce, colonialism and consumption. It argues that material objects mediated between the forces of global economic exchange and the constantly changing identities of individuals, as they were drawn into global circuits. It proposes a reconceptualization of early modern global history in the light of its material culture by asking the question: what can we learn about the early modern world by studying its objects? This exciting new collection draws together the latest scholarship in the study of material culture and offers students a critique and explanation of the notion of commodity and a reinterpretation of the meaning of exchange. It engages with the concepts of ‘proto-globalization’, ‘the first global age’ and ‘commodities/consumption’. Divided into three parts, the volume considers in Part One, Objects of Global Knowledge, in Part Two, Objects of Global Connections, and finally, in Part Three, Objects of Global Consumption. The collection concludes with afterwords from three of the leading historians in the field, Maxine Berg, Suraiya Faroqhi and Paula Findlen, who offer their critical view of the methodologies and themes considered in the book and place its arguments within the wider field of scholarship. Extensively illustrated, and with chapters examining case studies from Northern Europe to China and Australia, this book will be essential reading for students of global history.
Download or read book Dragon Rule written by E.E. Knight and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-07-03 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scattered across a continent and scarred by their harsh experiences on the path to adulthood, the three dragon siblings are among the last of a dying breed—the final hope for their species’ survival. Wistala, sister to the Copper who is now Emperor of the Upper World, has long thought humans the equal of dragons. She leads the Firemaids, fierce female fighting dragons who support the Hominids of Hypatia. Which puts her at odds with both her brothers, for the Copper has no use for the humans he now dominates and AuRon, the rare scaleless grey, would isolate himself and his family from both the world of men and the world of dragons. But as the Copper’s empire roils with war, greed and treachery, the time is fast approaching when Wistala will have to choose who to stand with—and fight for...
Download or read book The Rise of the Dragon written by George R. R. Martin and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2022-10-25 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This lavish visual history—featuring over 180 all-new illustrations—is a stunning introduction to House Targaryen, the iconic family at the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. For hundreds of years, the Targaryens sat the Iron Throne of Westeros while their dragons ruled the skies. The story of the only family of dragonlords to survive Valyria’s Doom is a tale of twisty politics, alliances and betrayals, and acts both noble and craven. The Rise of the Dragon chronicles the creation and rise of Targaryen power in Westeros, covering the history first told in George R. R. Martin’s epic Fire & Blood, from Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros through to the infamous Dance of the Dragons—the bloody civil war that nearly undid Targaryen rule for good. Packed with all-new artwork, the Targaryens—and their dragons—come vividly to life in this deluxe reference book. Perfect for fans steeped in the lore of Westeros, as well as those who first meet the Targaryens in the HBO series House of the Dragon, The Rise of the Dragon provides a must-have overview for anyone looking to learn more about the most powerful family in Westeros.
Download or read book The Stone of the Stars written by Alison Baird and published by . This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The quest is on to find the coveted Stone of the Stars on the mystical isle of Trynisia, once a place where humans dwelt side by side with dragons. Four have set off on their journey to reach it. But can they reach the isle and the Stone of the Stars before the tyrannical God-King Khalazar finds it and uses it to rule the world?
