10 Ladies of the Court: Clay models which accompanied the dead person to the grave. T'ang period. 208 _In the collection of the Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin._ 11 Distinguished founder: a temple banner found at Khotcho, Turkestan. 209 _Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin. No. 1B 4524, illustration B 408._ 12 Ancient tiled pagoda at Chengting (Hopei). 224 _Photo H. Hammer-Morrisson._ 13 Horse-training. Painting by Li Lung-mien. Late Sung period. 225 _Manchu Royal House Collection._ 14 Aborigines of South China, of the "Black Miao" tribe, at a festival. China-ink drawing of the eighteenth century. 272 _Collection of the Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin. No. 1D 8756, 68._ 15 Pavilion on the "Coal Hill" at Peking, in which the last Ming emperor committed suicide. 273 _Photo Eberhard._ 16 The imperial summer palace of the Manchu rulers, at Jehol. 288 _Photo H. Hammer-Morrisson._ 17 Tower on the city wall of Peking. 289 _Photo H. Hammer-Morrisson._ MAPS 1 Regions of the principal local cultures in prehistoric times 13 2 The principal feudal States in the feudal epoch (roughly 722-481 B.C.) 39 3 China in the struggle with the Huns or Hsiung-nu (roughly 128-100 B.C.) 87 4 The Toba empire (about A.D. 500) 141 5 The T'ang realm (about A.D. 750) 171 6 The State of the Later T'ang dynasty (923-935) 205 INTRODUCTION There are indeed enough Histories of China already: why yet another one? Because the time has come for new departures; because we need to clear away the false notions with which the general public is constantly being fed by one author after another; because from time to time syntheses become necessary for the presentation of the stage reached by research.