Foolish kings, clever scholars, brave generals, and kindhearted princessesyou'll find them all in the rich and colorful history of China, and in the stories told by generation after generation of Chinese people. For thousands of years, the people of China have been enthralled and entertained by stories of real historical figures and events of the past, and have retold the stories until they have become legendary. Nineteen of the most important and fascinating tales were translated from their original Chinese for this two-volume set of Chinese Historical Stories. They represent the most entertaining, well-known, and historically significant stories beloved by children and adults alike. Volume 1 presents stories of kings and queens, generals, battles, and courtiers from the Zhou Dynasty, when China was ruled by kings from 1046 BC to 221 BC. Volume 2 is full of tales from the China's Imperial period, when Emperors ruled the unified nation, from 221 BC until 1911 AD.