ABSTRACT
If we want to understand today's China, it is impossible to ignore the twists and turns of the country's long and complicated history. However, the aim of this chapter is not to provide a detailed historical excursion – other books will serve better in this respect. Instead, we will look at the past from a contemporary perspective and reveal what heritage the past has left for the China of the 21st century and how its history is perceived in China today. This chapter looks at some of the key “themes” of Chinese history that we often come across when discussing China. Is China really the oldest civilization in the world with a history of 5000 years, as many Chinese official sources often claim? What was behind the emergence of the modern Chinese national identity? How to explain the paradoxical fact that China simultaneously sees itself as an heir to an ancient powerful civilization and as a humiliated victim of foreign oppression?
