China History
Overview of Chinese History
China is one of the world's four ancient civilizations. The written history of China can be said to date back to the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC) over 3,000 years ago.
Anthropologists have uncovered the remains of China's earliest discovered hominid, "Yuanmou Man," (who lived approximately 1.7 million years ago. "Peking Man,"(See Peking Man Site in Zhoukoudian, Beijing) who lived to the southwest of today's Beijing 400,000 to 500,000 years ago, had the basic characteristics of Homosapiens. Man in China passed from primitive society to slave society in the 21st century B.C., with the founding of China's first dynasty, Xia Dynasty. The subsequent dynasties, the Shang (16th-11th century B.C.) and the Western Zhou (11th century-770 B.C.) saw further development of slave society. This era was followed by the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221 B.C.), marking the transition from the slave society to feudal society.
In 221 B.C., Ying Zheng, a man of great talent and bold vision, ended the rivalry among the independent principalities in the Warring States Period and established the first centralized, unified, multi-ethnic state in Chinese history under the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.), and called himself Shi Huang Di ( the First Emperor), historically known as Qin Shi Huang, or First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. 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 as well as a large palace, mausoleum(the Terracotta Army) and temporary regal lodges respectively in Xianyang, Lishan and other places. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang, a peasant leader, overthrew the Qin regime in cooperation with Xiang Yu, an aristocratic general. A few years later, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and established the strong Han Dynasty in 206 B.C.
In 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 emperor conquered the Xiongnu nomads, and sent Zhang Qian as 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 and to Europe. In 33 B.C., Wang Zhaojun(see Former Residence of Wang Zhaojun in Yichang, the starting point of the upstream Yangtze Cruise) , a palace maiden, was married to Huhanxie, chieftain of the Xiongnu, leaving a moving story about marriage ties between the Han and the Xiongnu. The multi-ethnic country became more consolidated. The Han regime existed for a total of 426 years. It was followed by the Three Kingdoms Period (220-265) of Wei, Shu and Wu.
The Three Kingdoms Period was followed by the Jin (265-420), the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589), and the Sui Dynasty (581-618). In 618, Li Yuan founded the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Later, Li Shimin (r. 626-649), son of Li Yuan, ascended the throne as Emperor Taizong, who was one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. After the Tang Dynasty, there came the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960). In 960, General Zhao Kuangyin of the Later Zhou Dynasty rose in mutiny, and founded the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In 1206, Genghis Khan unified all the tribes in Mongolia and founded the Mongol Khanate. In 1271, his grandson, Kublai Khan, conquered the Central Plain, founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and made Dadu (today's Beijing) the capital. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, handicraft industry and domestic and foreign trade boomed. Many merchants and travelers came from abroad. Marco Polo came from Venice and traveled extensively in China, later describing the country's prosperity in his Travels. The "four great inventions" of the Chinese people in ancient times—paper making, printing, the compass and gunpowder—were further developed in the Song and Yuan dynasties, and introduced to foreign countries during this time.
In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Nanjing, and reigned as Emperor Taizu. When his son, and successor, Zhu Di, ascended the throne, he started to build the palace, temples, city walls and moat in Beijing. In 1421, he officially made Beijing his capital.
In the late Ming Dynasty, the Manchus in northeast China grew in strength. Under the leadership of Nurhachi, the Manchus invaded the Central Plain for three generations in succession, and finally founded the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The two most famous emperors of the Qing Dynasty were Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1772) and Emperor Qianlong (r. 1735-1796). The Kangxi and Qianlong reign periods were known as the "times of prosperity."
China was reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country since the first Opium War in 1840. he Revolution of 1911, a bourgeois-democratic revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, ended the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The monarchical system was discarded with the founding of the provisional government of the Republic of China. The Revolution of 1911 is of great significance in modern Chinese history. But the fruits of victory were soon compromised by concessions on the part of the Chinese bourgeoisie, and the country entered a period of domination by the Northern Warlords headed by Yuan Shikai. The people lived in an abyss of misery in this period.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China has entered a new stage of prosperity.
List of Chinese Dynasties
| Dynasties | Period | Capital | Founder | Historical Relics | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prehistoric Times | 1.7 million years - the 21st century BC | |||||
| Xia Dynasty | 2070–1600 BC | Xia County in Shanxi Province | Yu | Bronzeware | ||
| Shang Dynasty | 1600–1046 BC | Xiangqiu in Henan Province | Tang | Bronzeware | ||
| Zhou Dynasty | Western Zhou | 1046–771 BC | Xian | King Wu of Zhou | ||
| Eastern Zhou | Spring and Autumn Period | 722–476 BC | King Ping of Zhou | Philosophical and Religious Literature | ||
| Warring States Period | 475–221 BC | Philosophical and Religious Literature | ||||
| Qin Dynasty | 221–206 BC | Xian | Qinshihuang | Terracotta Army, the Great Wall | ||
| Han Dynasty | Western Han | 206 BC–AD 9 | Xian | Emperor Liubang | The Silk Road | |
| Xin Dynasty | 9–23 | |||||
| Esatern Han | 25–220 | Luoyang | ||||
| Three Kingdoms | Wei | 220-265 | Luoyang | Cao Pi | ||
| Suhan | 221-263 | Chengdu | Liu Bei | |||
| Wu | 222-280 | Nanjing | Sun Quan | |||
| Jin Dynasty | Western Jin | 265–317 | Luoyang | Simayan | Tomb fresco | |
| Eastern Jin | 317–420 | Nanjing | Simarui | |||
| Southern and Northern Dynasties | 420–589 | Sacred Grottos | ||||
| Sui Dynasty | 581–618 | Xian | Yangjian | The Grand Canal | ||
| Tang Dynasty | 618–907 | Xian | Liyuan | Literature | ||
| Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms | 907–960 | Kaifeng | ||||
| Song Dynasty | Northern Song | 960–1127 | Kaifeng | Zhao Kuangyin | ||
| Southern Song | 1127–1279 | Lin'an in Zhejiang | Zhao Gou | |||
| Liao Dynasty | 916–1125 | Liaoning | Yelü Abaoji | |||
| Dali Kingdom | 937–1254 | Dali | Dali Ancient Town | |||
| Western Xia Dynasty | 1032-1227 | Yinchuan | Rock Carvings | |||
| Jin Dynasty | 1115–1234 | Beijing | Aguda | |||
| Yuan Dynasty | 1271–1368 | Beijing | Genghis Khan | Novels | ||
| Ming Dynasty | 1368–1644 | Beijing | Hongwu Emperor | The Great Wall, the Forbidden City | ||
| Qing Dynasty | 1644-1911 | Beijing | Nurhaci | Summer-palace, the Forbidden City | ||
| Republic of China | 1911-1949 | Nanjing | ||||
| People's Republic of China | From 1949 | Beijing | Chairman Mao | |||
Chinese Historical Celebrities
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