Detailed and compelling lectures. The series covers the mid-1800s—early 2000s.

The lessons really pick up once they reach the decades where the professor had spent time in China personally. His experiences help peel back another layer of China's complexity. Some of his visits also have impeccable timing, like when his university (UCLA) was the first American university to negotiate an exchange agreement with another university in China, following the newly established US-China relations a few months earlier in January 1979.

The late professor Baum held many representative and consultant positions, and includes his personal stories into the lessons when they line up chronologically. This adds the feel of a reporter on the ground during some of China's most historic moments. He's fluent in Mandarin, so you also get the local's thoughts and feelings through his daily interactions. Some of his own terms are occasionally shared, further helping you to connect historical events, like his "post-Tiannenmen Stress Syndrome". The format and professor combine for an unbeatable lecture series for the material being covered.