"Their acute awareness of the political uncertainty and the precarious natural conditions in which they lived made them more resilient, adaptive and innovative when it came to improving their lives..."

An excellent re-imagining of 24 "views from below", that made me realise how my (terribly fragmentary) understanding of ancient China is still framed through "kings and battles".

Details of the lives of everyday citizens in the Han dynasty are rendered in a lively and engaging style. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading these 24 "1-hour" snapshots.

A great example of how social (and ancient!) history can be rendered relatively accessible to mainstream audiences.