Part 1. The imperial-time-order -- The imperial-time-order : the eternal return of the Chinese Empire -- Part 2. Time, unity, and morality from the late Qing to Mao's China -- Suspended time : grounding the present in the late Qing -- Split time : enlightenment and its discontent -- Continuous time : heroes in the "Protracted War" -- Transitional time : defining the "people" and the "nation" in Mao's China -- Part 3. The return of "empire" in the post-Mao period -- Resurgent time : the return of "empire" in post-socialist representation -- Love or hate : the First Emperor on the cinematic screen -- The fascinating empire : emperors in contemporary novels -- Tianxia revisited : empire and family on the television screen -- Becoming-minority : Chinese characteristics in minority historical fiction.