...Brief History of China Prehistory Mythical Era Ancient Era Imperial Era Modern Era Introduction Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River Valley in the Neolithic era A history of 4700 years since Yellow Emperor during the period of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; the written history of China begins with Shang Dynasty 3600 years ago when turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing were carbon dated in 1500BC Prehistory Peking Man Paleolithic – – – – China was inhabited by Homo erectus more than 1 million years ago The archaeological site of Xihoudu site in Shanxi Province is the earliest recorded of use of fire by Homo erectus 1.27 million years ago The excavations at Yuanmou and later Lantian show early habitation The most specimen of Homo erectus found in China is the so-called Peking Man discovered in 1965 Prehistory (cont.) Neolithic – – – – – – Stone Tools The Neolithic age traced back to 10,000 BC Early evidence for proto-Chinese millet agriculture is carbon-dated to about 7,000 BC Population was increased due to agriculture, the ability to store and redistribute crops and to support specialist craftsmen and administrators In late Neolithic times, the Yellow River valley began to establish itself as a culture center, and the first villages were founded Early history of China is complicated by the lack of a written language during this period At Damaidi site in Ningxia, 3172 cliff carvings dating to...
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...Brief History of China Prehistory Mythical Era Ancient Era Imperial Era Modern Era Introduction Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River Valley in the Neolithic era A history of 4700 years since Yellow Emperor during the period of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; the written history of China begins with Shang Dynasty 3600 years ago when turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing were carbon dated in 1500BC Prehistory Peking Man Paleolithic – – – – China was inhabited by Homo erectus more than 1 million years ago The archaeological site of Xihoudu site in Shanxi Province is the earliest recorded of use of fire by Homo erectus 1.27 million years ago The excavations at Yuanmou and later Lantian show early habitation The most specimen of Homo erectus found in China is the so-called Peking Man discovered in 1965 Prehistory (cont.) Neolithic – – – – – – Stone Tools The Neolithic age traced back to 10,000 BC Early evidence for proto-Chinese millet agriculture is carbon-dated to about 7,000 BC Population was increased due to agriculture, the ability to store and redistribute crops and to support specialist craftsmen and administrators In late Neolithic times, the Yellow River valley began to establish itself as a culture center, and the first villages were founded Early history of China is complicated by the lack of a written language during this period At Damaidi site in Ningxia...
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...China regarding dynasties, unification, leadership, political philosophies, government structure and international relationships. The country has an extensive history. China also has many customs we would consider to be unacceptable. Come with me and let’s explore the up and coming global power. SECTIONII: There were many dynasties that have ruled China since 2033BC. Xia dynasty is one that people did not want to admit it existed. Xia ended with its leader being overthrown, imagine that. People can only put up with so much oppression. The monarch was a typical imbecile with money and power at his fingertips; he was overthrown. The Shang dynasty was ruled by a corrupt leader; he was overthrown. The longest lasting dynasty in China was the Zhou dynasty; they were in charge from 1027-221BC (www.google.com). A writing system and bronze metallurgy were invented. The king was assassinated by rebels (www.paulnoll.com). Power equals money which in turn, equals demise especially regarding dynasties. China dynasty rulers when overthrown are usually exiled or murdered. One Zhou ruler was overthrown and killed by rebel lords. With the royal line broken the power of the Zhou court gradually diminished (www.paulnoll.com/China/Dynasty-Zhou.html). The Qin dynasty was a ruthless one. They relied heavily on standardizing legal codes and bureaucratic procedures (www.paulnoll.com/China/Dynasty-Qin.html). Wow! One could say that China is communist due to this dynasty. What is it...
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...the Nile * 3300 B.C.E. * first walled towns were erected at Naqada and Hierakonpolis * 3100 B.C.E. * ruler of Upper Egypt unified the country * Menes, first ruler, conquered Lower Egypt and brought all of Egypt under his rule. He built the city of Memphis as his capital. * Kings of Egypt * “Ruler of the Two Lands” * wore two crowns – symbolizing the unification of the country * There were at least 30 dynasties in Egypt’s history * Scholars divided the early history of Egypt according to the three periods when strong dynasties united the country * Old Kingdom (2686 – 2150 B.C.E.) * Middle Kingdom (2040 – 1786 B.C.E.) * New Kingdom (1570 – 1090 B.C.E.) Old Kingdom * 2649 B.C.E. * Old Kingdom was inaugurated under the rulers of the third dynasty * Egypt first began to project its power abroad, with expeditions during the reign of Shefru (2575 – 2551 B.C.E.) to Nubia to collect raw materials and campaigns into Libya by the sixth dynasty pharaohs (2323 – 2150 B.C.E.) * 2246 – 2152 B.C.E. * During the long reign of Pepi II, central authority began to dissolve...
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...Yemage Omer Han Dynasty Results The Han was a dynasty of China. It was proceeded by the Qin dynasty and had Three Kingdoms. It was founded by Liu Bang, known as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was interrupted by the Xin dynasty shortly. The Western Han and Eastern Han were two divisions that lasted over four centuries. People call the Han dynasty a golden age in Chinese history. Even know, China's people refer to themselves as the "Han people" and the Chinese script is referred to as "Han characters". The Han had great economic strength and saw growth of money first during the Zhou dynasty. The coins used by the government in 119 BC stayed the standard coinage of China until the Tang dynasty. The government made the salt and iron industries go around the dynasty around 117 BC. They lead the production of coin casting, salt, iron, measures, and weights. They also...
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...------------------------------------------------- History of China From at least 1766BCE to the twentieth century of the Common Era, China was ruled by dynasties. A dynasty is a family that passes control from one generation to the next. A dynasty does not have to last for a long time. One Chinese dynasty lasted more than 800 years while another lasted only fifteen years. The ancient Chinese believed their ancestors in heaven had chosen their leaders. They called this the Mandate of Heaven. The Chinese people often rebelled against a weak leader if they believed he had lost the Mandate of Heaven. There are indications of an earlier Hsia Dynasty, but the Shang were the first dynasty to leave written records. The Shang also developed a lunar calendar consisting of twelve months of 30 days each. The Shang Dynasty ruled China from approximately 1766BCE to about 1040BCE. Shang rulers expanded the borders of their kingdom to include all of the land between Mongolia and the Pacific Ocean. The Shang practiced human sacrifice. If a Shang king died, many of his subjects would join the ruler in his grave. Some people were beheaded first but others were buried alive. When a Shang king died, his next oldest brother replaced him. When there were no brothers, the ruler’s oldest maternal nephew became king. A maternal nephew would be a child of one of the deceased king’s cousins – that is, a son of his mother’s siblings. The Chou were initially nomads who lived west of the Shang...
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...According to this philosophy, an individual should find a way, called Dao, to relate to this harmony. Patterns in Classical China China has maintained the clearest links to its classical past. Already a pattern was set in motion that lasted until the early part of the 20th century. Dynasties would start rule, develop strong political institutions, and encourage an active economy. But afterwards, the dynasty would grow weaker and tax revenues declined, while social divisions increased in the larger society. As one dynasty went down, another emerged and repeated the pattern. * Three dynasties covered the centuries of classical China: Zhou, Qin, and Han. Zhou The Zhou dynasty lasted from 1029 to 258 b.c.e. The dynasty only until about 700 b.c.e. flourished. They replaced the Shang rulers. It was then declined by political infrastructure and frequent invasions by nomadic people from border regions. * Government was not very powerful. * Rulers didn’t have the means to control their territories directly. * In exchange for land, supporters were supposed to provide the government with troops and tax revenues. * Extended territory by taking over the Yangtze river valley. (Middle Kingdom) * Wheat grew in the North and rice in the Southpopulation growth. * Difficult to communicaterely on loyal supporters. * Began the spoken language of Mandarin Chinese * During late 6th and early 5th century b.c.e., the philosopher known as Confucius wrote an elaborate...
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...The history of the world is the history of humanity, beginning with the Paleolithic Era. Distinct from the history of Planet Earth (which includes early geologic history and prehuman biological eras), world history comprises the study of archeological and written records, from ancient times on. Ancient recorded history begins with the invention of writing.[1][2] However, the roots of civilization reach back to the period before the invention of writing. Prehistory begins in the Paleolithic Era, or "Early Stone Age," which is followed by the Neolithic Era, or New Stone Age, and the Agricultural Revolution (between 8000 and 5000 BCE) in the Fertile Crescent. The Neolithic Revolution marked a change in human history, as humans began the systematic husbandry of plants and animals.[3][4][5] Agriculture advanced, and most humans transitioned from a nomadic to a settled lifestyle as farmers in permanent settlements. Nomadism continued in some locations, especially in isolated regions with few domesticable plant species;[6] but the relative security and increased productivity provided by farming allowed human communities to expand into increasingly larger units, fostered by advances in transportation. World population[7] from 10,000 BCE to 2,000 CE. The vertical (population) scale is logarithmic. As farming developed, grain agriculture became more sophisticated and prompted a division of labor to store food between growing seasons. Labor divisions then led to the rise of a leisured...
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...Moon Ms. Jana Russ World Civilizations: China 23 July 2009 What were the reasons which caused Qing Dynasty to fall? And why is that important? What was the opportunity that does China got a foothold in modernization? What is the last Kingdom of the history of China? The Qing dynasty was the last kingdom ever lasted in Chinese history. In fact, the fall of the Qing dynasty facilitated modernization of China, however there were three main reasons which caused collapse of Qing dynasty: Empress Dowager Cixi, Opium war and rebellions during Qing period. First, who is Empress Dowager Cixi? As the textbook “CHINA: A Cultural, Social, and Political History” by Patricia Buckley Ebrey said the Cixi was most powerful person during the self-strengthening period. To maintain her authority, she chose her four years old cousin after her son’s death. The record also said that Cixi was a skillful political operator (p.223). However, Cixi was sided with conservative parts which caused French fleet attack on China (p.224). So this was the reason why Qing got attacked from foreign forces which the dynasty gradually got weakened, so Cixi was one of the reason why Qing dynasty got perished. This was also pretty interesting issue that it was kind of opposite view comparing to Kangxi who lived to perceive the Qing Empire firmly established (p.190). Another big issue that caused Qing dynasty to fall was the Opium War. As the textbook by Ebrey, it said that by the late 18th century, the Britain...
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... Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both commercial and military, are referred to as "naval engineering". The construction of boats is a similar activity called boat building. China boasts a shipbuilding history as long as that of mankind. Spanning a time period of thousands of years, Chinese ships have evolved from rafts and canoes to wheel ships and today's steel vessels. The various ship models, structures, and propellers have vividly reflected the humankind's technological development and creativity, which is true with the famous ships in ancient China, such as the Lou Chuan (castle ships) of the Han Dynasty(206BC-220AD), the Big Dragon Boats of the Sui Dynasty(581-618), and the treasure boats used by Zheng He during his voyages to the West seas in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). First Shipbuilding China had established a fairly mature shipbuilding industry as early as the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-220 AD). Possessing well-developed shipbuilding technology and expertise, the artisans of the time were...
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...Chapter 7 Confucian Classics-the ancient texts recovered during the Han Dynasty that Confucian scholars treated as sacred scriptures. Silk Road- the trade routes across central Asia through which Chinese silk and other items were traded Eunuchs-castrated males who played an important role as palace servants Age of division- the period after the fall of the Han dynasty when china was politically divided Grand canal- a canal, built during the Sui dynasty that connected the yellow and Yangzi Rivers. Notable for strengthening china’s internal cohesion and economic development Pure land- a school of Buddhism that taught that calling on the Buddha Amitabha and his chief helper, one could achieve rebirth in Amitabha’s pure land paradise Chan-a school of Buddhism that rejected the authority of the sutras and claimed the superiority of mind-to-mind transmission of Buddhist truths Nara- Japan’s capital and the first true city; it was established in 710 and modeled on the Tang capital of Chang’an ------------------------------------------------- Chapter 8 Corpus Juris civilis- the “body of civil law,” it is composed of the code, the digest and the institutes. Dioceses- geographic administrative districts of the church, each under the authority of a bishop and centered around cathedral Arianism- a theological belief, originating with Arius, a priest from Alexandria that denied that Christ was co-eternal with god the father. Popes- heads of the Roman...
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...Decline of the Roman/Han/Gupta Empires Diverse Interpretations Assignment COMPARISONS TO FOCUS ON: * The causes for the decline of the Roman, Han and Gupta Empires * Understanding of how and why the collapse of the empire was more severe in Western Europe than it was in the Asian Empires. * Comparison of the role that religions played in the declines * The impact of missionary outreach of the Christians and Buddhists in these empires RESOURCES * Upshur – “The Decline of Empires” * Stearns - Decline of Empires. * Frank Smitha - “Decline and Fall” * Johnson and Johnson – “Why Don’t Empires Last?” * Spodek – “China and Rome: How do they compare?” * Bulliet pages 168-170 and 186-189. ASSIGNMENT 1. Construct a Venn comparing and contrasting the causes for decline of the Roman, Han and Gupta empires. Information will come from the documents and not the lecture…you already wrote the lecture notes once, why write them again? Rome Han similarities Gupta 2. Write 3 comparative analytical mini-paragraphs about the decline of empires. (generalization, facts, analysis…) Remember that analysis answers the question “why?” Example: The AP World History teachers have very different tastes in beverages. Ms. Forswall likes tea while Ms. Patch likes cola. Green tea and Earl Grey are Ms. Forswall’s favorites; they taste nothing like Pepsi or Coke because soft drinks are much sweeter. Ms. Patch usually chooses a diet style of...
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...6th century BCE in China. One of the ideas is that you must be virtuous, expressive in modesty, truthfulness, loyalty, charity, and learning. Similar to most religions, Confucius did not keep texts in his own words, more so of keeping records from his students and their students and so on. Unfortunately, during the Qin Dynasty, most of the texts were burned, as were all materials referring to Confucianism. Later, during the Han Dynasty, Confucian thought was the basis of the rules and laws in China but, was quickly discarded for Buddhism. Eventually, a blend of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism was made to create laws and establish peace by emphasizing how relationships should be in terms of family. There a five principal relationships: husband and wife, parent and child, elder and younger siblings or all younger persons, ruler and subject, and friend and friend. The Golden Rule, “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others,” is also part of the philosophy. Through righteous behavior and epitomizing right relationships, harmony is established in the person and the kingdom. Confucianism also includes the concept of the divine: Men should have three awes: Heaven’s decree, great men, and saints (past thinkers or ancestors.) The philosophy goes against war and enforcement of too many laws, believing that the people will live in harmony any govern themselves. Confucianism in China used to be the most significant thing in their life. It affected everything from education...
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...A Comparison; The Ming and Tokugawa Period The Ming dynasty achievement in rebuilding the empire and restoring Chinese pride ushered in a period of unprecedented economic and cultural growth on Song foundations but going far beyond where the Song had left off. There was rapid commercialization of the economy as a whole, an accompanying rise in the number and size of cities, and perhaps a doubling of total trade. Tokugawa Ieyasu’s victory at Sekigahara in 1600 brought Japan the longest period of peace and stability in its history: it lasted until nearly the end of the shogunate I n1868. Rhodes Murphey discussed developments during the Tokugawa period saying, “A major result was economic and commercial growth. Such developments brought the country closer to the modern world.” (East Asia, A New History, pg. 264) Before the end of the Ming’s first century there was a growing turn to conservatism. This partially reflected the determination to reestablish the traditional Chinese way in all things after the Mongol humiliation, but it also stemmed from enhanced prosperity. An Italian missionary Matteo Ricci reported in the early seventeenth century on their conservatism saying, “Everything which the people need for their well-being and sustenance is abundantly produced within the borders of the kingdom.” (Rhodes Murphey, East Asia, A New Histoy, pg. 129) There was less incentive to seek change or be innovative at least in terms of official policy. Policy and administration was...
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...current similarities and what is happening in the current days. Back in the history Name of China in Persian language written as چین read exactly as Qin in pinyin writing of Chinese mandarin language implies the starting point of mutual acquaintance going back till the time of Qin dynasty in China which coincides with the rule Arsacid dynasty (Parthian Empire) in Iran. However the oldest document currently available about these relationships points out to the time of Chinese Han Dynasty and Iranian Parthian Empire(247 BC - 224 AD). These relations continued further up to next Iranian dynasty of Sassanids and after invasion of Arabs to Iran and continued in different forms of commercial, religious, cultural & scientific transactions. Mutual relations before Islam An outstanding document from Chinese part is Zhang Qian words in Shiji 史记 one of the most reliable records on Chinese history written by grand Chinese historian Sima Qian 司马迁. The Chinese explorer Zhang Qian, who visited the neighbouring countries of Bactria and Sogdiana in 126 BCE, made the first known Chinese report on Parthia. In his accounts Parthia is named Ānxī 安息 , a transliteration of "Arsacid", the name of the Parthian dynasty. Zhang Qian clearly identifies Parthia as an advanced urban civilization, which he equates to those of Dayuan (in Ferghana currently located in Uzbekistan) and Daxia (in Bactria currently located in Afghanistan). "Anxi is...
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