In China, poetry has always been considered the supreme art form, and the great poets of the past are national heroes. From their first weeks of Primary School, children learn works from a millennium and a half ago and this shared cultural foundation is key to understanding the country and its people. How better to gain this knowledge than the way the Chinese do?

'Plum Blossoms in Primary' takes you on a journey through China's national school textbooks studied by every child in the country and, in an accessible style, introduces the poems, the poets, their context, and their significance. It's all laid out such that non-specialists can appreciate the works in the original language. This book is important for anyone interested in China, or in poetry and, while aimed at the general reader, will also be of value to students of Chinese and as a text on World Literature courses.