Volume I 1. Introduction: Titles of the Reigning Dynasties since Ancient Times 2. Xia: “Residing High and Drinking Dew” 3. Shang: “The Heavenly Commissioned Dark Bird Descends and Gives Birth to Shang” 4. Zhou: Emphasizing Agriculture 5. Qin: The Cattail (Forage Grass) for Raising Horses 6. Han: “The Name ‘Tianhan’ (Milky Way) is Magnificent” 7. Xin: “Complying with the Heavenly Mandate” 8. Wei, Han and Wu: The Three Divisions of the Country 9. Jin: The “Well-known Ambition” of Sima Zhao 10. The Sixteen Kingdoms and the Southern and Northern Dynasties: Turmoil, Rise and Fall 11. Sui: Auspicious or Ominous? 12. Tang: Emperor Shen Yao's Aspirations and Self-Assessment 13. Zhou: The “Ancient Ancestor Ji Zhou” of the “Empress of the Holy Mother” 14. Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms: Inheritance and Division 15. Song: Moments of Serendipity 16. The Great Yuan: How Grand is the Primal Beginning of Creativity 17. The Great Ming: "In the Radiant Light of the Buddhas" 18. The Great Qing: Turning the Tide 19. The Republic of China: A New Era of the National Titles Volume II Part I The Names of China since Ancient Times 1. China: A Country between Heaven and Earth 2. Zhuxia and Huaxia: Cultural Inheritance and Manifestation of the Xia Dynasty 3. Zhonghua: The Harmony of Heaven, Earth and Humans 4. Yuji and Jiuzhou: “the ‘Genesis’ of China” 5. Sihai, Hainei and Tianxia: How Vast is the Earth? Part II The Names of China in Foreign Languages 6. China: Some Misinterpretations in Translations 7. Serice: The Mysterious Land of Silk 8. Taugas: Proof of the Multi-ethnic Country 9. Cathay: Reaffirmation of the Multi-ethnic Country 10. The Characteristics of Han and Tang and Other Names 11. The Dragon and the Lion: Traditional Culture and Modern History 12. Conclusion: Interpreting the Names of China for My Country
Biography
HU A-Xiang is Professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the School of History, Nanjing University, China. His primary research interests lie in Chinese history, Chinese historical geography, and Chinese toponymy.
