Your course readings are only a piece of achieving an understanding of your topic. Broad overviews, like the ones you might find on Wikipedia, help in the following ways:
Fill in gaps in your understanding about events, eras, people
Provide important avenues of discovery within a topic for identifying controversies and questions
Assist in building a stronger search strategy through keyword discovery and areas of expertise to consult
Why use these and not Wikipedia?
Don't frame it as either/or. Think of these resources as more comprehensive and expert entries to build off of what you may have learned in Wikipedia. They are places for digging deeper.
Provides a reference on China from its early beginnings, with a clear focus on the modern period from the mid-nineteenth century to the 21st century. Covers the history, geography, society, economy, politics, science, and culture of China.
Provides a reference on China from its early beginnings, with a clear focus on the modern period from the mid-nineteenth century to the 21st century. Covers the history, geography, society, economy, politics, science, and culture of China.