Welcome to the China category of Trieste Books. China is undoubtedly one of the oldest civilizations in the world. China's long and rich history is reflected in the thinking and values of the people, as well as in the art, architecture and engineering achievements left over from past dynasties. China is an amazingly different country, and at the same time, united in its diversity. The sights of China can be divided into three main groups: natural sites, monuments of history and culture, and sites of national traditions. Authentic Chinese villages, natural monuments and amazing ancient monasteries - everything breathes with ancient traditions. The territory of China, due to the peculiarities of its geographical position was once considered an exotic and unknown land isolated from the rest of the world. The discovery of China by the Europeans led not only to an increase in trade and colonial invasions or missionary activities, but also to the expansion of knowledge about this country among Europeans. In 1585, the Spaniard Juan González de Mendoza published the first consolidated work on China in Europe entitled The History of the Great and Mighty Kingdom of China and the Situation Thereof. This book is based on the records of earlier Portuguese travelers, traders and diplomats. It was this work, together with the famous book “The Travels of Marco Polo” that created the image of China among many generations of Europeans at the end of the 16th - 18th centuries. For much of its history, China has developed in isolation. China, on the one hand, absorbed a considerable number of local states and cultures, and on the other hand, it is surprising that until the 17th century China had almost no contact with other civilizations. Trieste Books has compiled a fascinating collection of books on China. You can read reportage by different authors at different times who have visited China and have described their travels and sojourns in books such as: Herbert A. Giles and his eight years of experience in "Chinese Sketches"; "Observations on China and the Chinese" by William L. G. Smith; a collection of essays and notes titled "Chinese Miscellanies" by Sir John Francis Davis, and others. Discover China from new perspectives with Trieste Books.