Imperial China: 900–1800
book by Frederick W. Mote
Imperial China: 900–1800 is a history book written by Frederick W. Mote, Professor of Chinese History and Civilization, Emeritus, at Princeton University. The book was published in 1999 by Harvard University Press.
Scope
As the title suggests, Imperial China covers the 900-year period from the year 900 to 1800. In terms of Chinese history, it covers the period from the fall of the Tang dynasty to the middle of the Qing dynasty, shortly before the beginning of China's Century of Humiliation at the end of the Qing dynasty. It covers the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Liao dynasty, Song dynasty, Western Xia state, Jin dynasty, Yuan dynasty, Ming dynasty and the first 150 years of the Qing dynasty.
Contents
The nearly 1,000 pages of text are divided into five parts and are further divided into 36 chapters.
Part One
Conquest Dynasties and the Northern Song: 900–1127
1. The Five Dynasties
2. Abaoji
3. Building the Liao Empire
4.
The public source identifies “Imperial China: 900–1800” as book by Frederick W. Mote. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Imperial, China and book.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Imperial China: 900–1800”, the useful work is to connect “book by Frederick W. Mote” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6006425. The first chronological checks are 1800, 1999 and 1127.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Imperial China: 900–1800”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Imperial China: 900–1800 primary sources, Imperial China: 900–1800 archive and Imperial research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Imperial China: 900–1800”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Imperial China: 900–1800” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.