The subjects in your high school, such as history, geography and politics, are basically regarded as politics and have nothing to do with real historical research. In China, history is considered to be divided into history and party history, but now non-history majors in middle schools and even universities study party history instead of history.
If you are interested in the humanities, you can start with the China History Series in Cambridge. If you are interested in philosophy, you can start with popular books such as A Brief History of Philosophy and Big Questions.
No matter what you do, hard work always pays off. The reality is that the path of historical research is really narrow, and as far as historical politics is concerned, I think what you like is to evaluate current politics according to history. There are also jobs of this nature, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Political Bureau, news commentators, and some think tank companies. The requirements are also relatively high. You must be proficient in the history of international relations, diplomacy, at least two languages, political history, modern history and so on. , and have a certain understanding of economics, public relations, sociology, anthropology and other disciplines.
Think for yourself. Good luck!
Supplement:
Regarding the specific direction, it seems that you are still very confused from this question, whether it is for discipline or life, for individuals or for society. In view of this, I suggest you study the modern history of China, on the grounds that "all history is contemporary history", and the study of modern history is hot, and it can help you to know more clearly about today's society and people's behavior than others. It's good for you to control your own direction in the long run. After all, life is a long run.
Well, since your interest is still biased towards politics, I suggest you study politics, international relations, diplomacy and sociology. If you are interested, you can continue to study modern history, because at present, except for the emerging research methods of historical anthropology and the new cultural history of South China, the study of modern history is basically a study of political history.
I think you should be able to find your own direction after that. Finally, I want to tell you that there is only one existence in social history, and so is the individual. There are great possibilities for both kinds of existence, so don't lose heart and be impatient. History is a series of accidents, and your efforts may become the hope of tomorrow.
Think for yourself. Good luck!