"Two Dragon Heads explores the contrasting development options available to Beijing and Shanghai, and it proposes strategies for each city based on the current and acquired capabilities of each, the experiences of other world cities, the emerging demand in the national market, and likely trends in global trade. Its findings, which are supported by a wealth of research, will be of particular interest to policy makers, urban planners, business people, and researchers." --Book Jacket.

Born into a village whose foundations were forged from strength and destruction, Shadow is trained in the art of chakra manipulation from an early age to become a ruthless warrior. As Shadow matures, he unlocks a devastating power that has been hidden in the blood of his lineage for the past fi ve-hundred years. A power that has not been seen since Shadow’s great-grandfather, Lord Th eron, unleashed it upon the world in a black storm of fury and annihilation, earning him the title of the most ruthless warlord in all of history. Th e leader of the Village of Chaos sends Shadow on a deadly mission to the Forbidden Lands to train and master his newly acquired abilities. An unfortunate death forces Shadow to end his training early and return home to mourn for the lost life. An enormous war between rival clans is on the brink of erupting when the leader of the Village of Chaos approaches Shadow and informs him of his true role. Shadow is to lead a massive army into battle just like his great-grandfather did fi ve-hundred years ago. With this daunting task placed before him Shadow must decide whether to heed his great-grandfathers warning and stay away from a life of power and bloodlust or to do what is best for his home and unleash his inner strength, his inner demon.

All non-Irish dragon-shifters are being banished from Ireland and Brenna Rossi’s only chance to stay with the clan she’s grown to love is to mate one of the Irish dragons—Killian O’Shea. Even though he’s lost his memory and and his dragon, she’s drawn to him and looks forward to some no strings attached heat between the sheets. However, the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes that maybe she does want a future with Killian. The only question is whether or not there will be one. Killian O’Shea lost his dragon and his memory. He has no idea who he is or why everyone keeps asking him to remember them. The only person who doesn’t try to change him is Brenna Rossi, which is why he agreed to mate her. But just as he starts to enjoy his new bride, Killian learns that whatever drug had been used on him isn’t finished yet and that maybe there are worse things in the world than losing your memory. As things deteriorate, Brenna tries to do everything she can to keep Killian whole and sane. But the more she helps him, the more she starts to wonder if she’ll lose the man she’s falling for. Will Brenna and Killian find a way to bring back his memories and dragon? Or, will they forge a new path to be together?

The invasion of Korea by Japanese troops in May of 1592 was no ordinary military expedition: it was one of the decisive events in Asian history and the most tragic for the Korean peninsula until the mid-twentieth century. Japanese overlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi envisioned conquering Korea, Ming China, and eventually all of Asia; but Korea’s appeal to China’s Emperor Wanli for assistance triggered a six-year war involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers and encompassing the whole region. For Japan, the war was “a dragon’s head followed by a serpent’s tail”: an impressive beginning with no real ending. Kenneth M. Swope has undertaken the first full-length scholarly study in English of this important conflict. Drawing on Korean, Japanese, and especially Chinese sources, he corrects the Japan-centered perspective of previous accounts and depicts Wanli not as the self-indulgent ruler of received interpretations but rather one actively engaged in military affairs—and concerned especially with rescuing China’s client state of Korea. He puts the Ming in a more vigorous light, detailing Chinese siege warfare, the development and deployment of innovative military technologies, and the naval battles that marked the climax of the war. He also explains the war’s repercussions outside the military sphere—particularly the dynamics of intraregional diplomacy within the shadow of the Chinese tributary system. What Swope calls the First Great East Asian War marked both the emergence of Japan’s desire to extend its sphere of influence to the Chinese mainland and a military revival of China’s commitment to defending its interests in Northeast Asia. Swope’s account offers new insight not only into the history of warfare in Asia but also into a conflict that reverberates in international relations to this day.