It is hard to imagine that such a short book can cover such a vast span of time and space. This Is China: The First 5,000 Years will help teachers, students, and general readers alike, as they seek for a preliminary guide to the contexts and complexities of Chinese culture. --Jonathan Spence, professor of history, Yale University; author of The Search for Modern ChinaPacks about as much of the panorama of the Chinese experience into a single volume as is physically possible. --Dan Burstein, managing partner, Millennium Technology Ventures; author of Big DragonThis is a gem. It is a reference that everyone who teaches, writes, or thinks about China should have close at hand. Don t be caught without this book. --Ronald Suleski, professor and director, Rosenberg Institute for East Asian Studies, Suffolk UniversityPacks about as much of the panorama of the Chinese experience into a single volume as is physically possible. --Dan Burstein, managing partner, Millennium Technology Ventures; author of Big DragonThis is a gem. It is a reference that everyone who teaches, writes, or thinks about China should have close at hand. Don t be caught without this book. --Ronald Suleski, professor and director, Rosenberg Institute for East Asian Studies, Suffolk University






  Haiwang Yuan, now a U.S. citizen, came from China to the states in 1988 as a Fulbright student and graduated from Indiana University at Bloomington with a history and a library science degree by 1995. Yuan has been a member of the Department of Library Public Services faculty, Western Kentucky University, since 1997, where he is now Professor and Special Assistant to the Dean of Libraries. He now serves on the Board of Chinese American Librarians Association. Berkshire Encyclopedia of China (2009); he was a major contributor to the  Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture (Routledge, 2004) and Theories and Practices of American Libraries in the Twenty-First Century (Beijing Library Press, 2007). He is the author of Princess Peacock: Tales from the Other Peoples of China (Libraries Unlimited, 2008), The Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales from the Han Chinese (Libraries Unlimited, 2006), Virtual Libraries Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Huayi, Beijing, 2002), and co-author of Celebrate Chinese New Year, Holidays around the World Series (National Geographic, 2009). Over two dozen of Yuan s professional articles have appeared in international, national, and regional journals.