Ancient China, the cradle of a great civilization, whose influence spread throughout Southeast Asia. Its brilliance and complexity, which has become a myth from a tradition of thousands of years, surprised archaeologists last century when enormous treasures came to light intact, confirming historical calculations and encouraging further searches that are sure to bear fruit. The texts of Maurizio Scarpari and the 400-plus images tell the amazing story of ancient Chinese civilization, from the Neolithic period (8500-1700 BC) and through the Bronze Age, which consists of the three pre-imperial dynasties, Xia (21st-16th century BC), Shang (16th-11th century BC), and Zhou (11th century BC-221 BC), to the imperial period, which began with the short-lived Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) and reached its height of glory with the dynasties of Han (206 BC-220 AD) and Tang (618-907 AD). A significant portion of the book is devoted to the analysis of various aspects of social organization and daily life, from religious beliefs to politics, from ethics to family, and from entertainment to war. Special emphasis is given to art, the precious works of art that were made of jade and metals (especially bronze, but also gold and silver, which were associated with bronze), and the extensive production of pottery vessels, lacquerware, images, and objects made of semi-precious stones, wood, and glass.[...]