People's China: A Brief History

The purposes of Dietrich's book should be kept in mind. The book is not a detailed scholarly book and does not pretend to be. It is, however, a fair-minded and useful introduction to the PRC's history for students at the beginning undergraduate level. Students and China buffs must begin somewhere, after all, and Dietrich's book is as good as any (and much better than many) for this purpose. I have happily used the book for introductory classes I have taught in major U.S. and Canadian universities.