Ancient China was built along the two main rivers: first the Yellow River (Huang He) in the north, and later the Yangtze in the south in around 2000 BCE.
China was home to one of the four early civilizations found around the world. However, China is different from the other civilizations. The culture that developed in Ancient China became the nation of China that exists today.
Of course there have been changes along the way, but the same culture has continued. The other three civilizations have faded away or been completely overtaken by new people. For this reason, people say China is the oldest continuous civilization in the world.
In China, the powerful families that controlled land became leaders of family-controlled governments called dynasties. Chinese history from ancient times until about 100 years ago is divided by different dynasties.
The Xia Dynasty (2000 BCE-1600 BCE) was the first dynasty in Chinese history. It lasted around 500 years and included the reigns of 17 emperors. An emperor is similar to a king.
The Xia people were farmers, with bronze weapons and clay pottery. One artifact called a "bi" (pictured on right) seems to be a burial artifact. Bi's have been found throughout Chinese history. Silk is one of the most important products China has ever created. Most historians agree that the Xia Dynasty was producing silk clothing, though silk production may have started much earlier.
At around 1600 BCE, the people rose up in rebellion under the leadership of Tang who was also the founder of the Shang Dynasty.
The Shang Dynasty (1600 BCE-1046 BCE) was originally a clan living along the Yellow River during the Xia Dynasty. A clan is group of very close families that are often viewed as one big family. The Shang conquered Xia land and gained control of Chinese civilization. The Shang Dynasty lasted over 600 years and was led by 30 different emperors.
The Shang were the oldest Chinese civilization to leave behind written records, called oracle bones—turtle shells, cattle shoulders or other bones on which were written important clues to Chinese history. Oracle bones were often used to determine what the gods/nature wanted.
Eventually, the Shang were defeated by the Zhou clan (in 1046 BCE).
The Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE-256 BCE) lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history. The Zhou time period is divided into parts called the Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou because there was a brief disruption in their control of the government. The Zhou battled with invading armies from the north (Mongolians), so they built large mounds of dirt and rock as barriers that would slow down the enemy--this was not the Great Wall yet, but the idea came before the wall.
The crossbow was another invention of this time--it was extremely effective and feared by enemies. During the Zhou, the use of iron was introduced to China, which begins the Iron Age in China. Iron tipped weapons were much stronger, and the iron plow helped to increase food production.
During the Zhou Dynasty Taoism (also spelled Daoism) and Confucianism developed the two most important Chinese philosophies.
The great Chinese philosopher Confucius developed a way of life called Confucianism. Confucianism says that all people can be taught and improved if they do the right things. People should focus on doing the right thing for others, make family the most important, and respect elders of society.
The founder of Taoism was named Laozi. Taoism is all about following the "Tao", which means the "way" or "path". The Tao is the driving force behind all things in the universe. The Yin Yang symbol is usually associated with Taoism. Taoists believe you should live in harmony with nature, be humble, live simply without too many possessions and have compassion for all life.
By 475 BCE the provinces/states of the Zhou kingdom were more powerful than the Zhou central government. The states rebelled and fought one another in a series of brutal wars, which began a period of over 200 years of war called the Warring States Period. Eventually, one family (Qin) united all others into one empire. This is usually recognized as the first empire of China, which begins a new time period called Imperial China. Imperial basically means "empire of”.
During his reign, Qin Shi Huang standardized the script, currencies, and weights and measures, established the system of prefectures and counties, and began the construction of the world-renowned Great Wall.
He also built a large palace, a mausoleum (the Terracotta Army), and temporary regal lodges in Xi’anyang, Lishan, and other places.
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang, a peasant leader, overthrew the Qin regime in cooperation with Xi’ang Yu, an aristocratic general. A few years later, Liu Bang defeated Xi’ang Yu and established the strong Han Dynasty in 206 B.C.
During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce were well developed. During the reign of Emperor Wudi (Liu Che, 140-87 B.C.), the Han regime reached the period of its greatest prosperity. The multi-ethnic country became more united during the Han regime, which existed in total 426 years.
The emperor conquered the Xiongnu nomads, sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions (Central Asia), and in the process pioneered the route known as the "Silk Road" from the Han capital Chang' an through Xinjiang to Europe.
Chinese dynasties would continue to rule China until Medieval times when the Mongolians finally conquered China. Chinese families eventually fought back and regained control, which they maintained until 1911 when China experienced a civil war.
Sources:
You need to login to view this link
You need to login to view this link
You need to login to view this link
You need to login to view this link
Previous lesson: You need to login to view this link
Next lesson: You need to login to view this link
The list of lessons and all the other info is in my profile! If I have missed anything worth mentioning or you found a mistake please comment or write me PM.
join list:
HistoryLessons (13 subs)Mention Clicks: 33Msgs Sent: 39
Mention History
