A rather typical Frank Dikotter book: with strong narrative voice and anecdotes, he illustrates a chapter of Chinese history deftly. Few complaints about such a text: a great introduction to the period that is engaging to read.

The broad strokes he takes in painting pictures means that one would be served better by more specialized texts if looking at specific, say, interactions between key figures or the economy. I don't think his book pretends to be anything other than 'A People's History', though, so this isn't a particular criticism.