This is an intermediate/advanced reader on China's history.
This book is part of a series, the others are: 'Common Knowledge About Chinese Geography' and 'Common Knowledge about Chinese Culture'. Together all three books will cover essential knowledge about China.

The chapters are as follows (my own edit of the content):
1. Ancient history (the "Peking Man", Confucious,...)
2. the Qin and Han Dynasties (the Great Wall, the First Emperor,...)
3. the Division of China (the Red Cliff battle, the Ballad of Mulan,...)
4. the Sui and Tang Dynasties (the Grand Canal, the Great Poets,...)
5. the Five Dynasties (Bao, Genghis Khan, Marco Polo in China,...)
6. the Ming and Ching Dynasties (Zheng He's voyages, Japanese pirates,...)
7. Modern China (the Opium Wars, May 4th Movement, the Nanchang Uprising, the Nanjing Massacre,...)
8. Contemporary China (Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Hong Kong handover,...)

The book tries to cover as much as possible, so do not expect in-depth coverage.