The illustrious past of the Celestial empire
Confucius once lamented that the passage of time is like a flowing river that will never return. I do agree with this but I also think that the past will always be relevant to us even though they are gone. Only when we begin to understand history, can we understand why things are as such today.
China is the cradle of human civilisation, with its’ history stretching several thousand years. The history of China is long and illustrious and to learn it all, one would need a long long time. Therefore, this humble post serves to showcase the key highlights of the Chinese history and culture through the different dynasties.
Primitive Society (c.10 million years — c. 2100 BC)
The direct ancestors of human beings were the anthropoids (apes) which lived at the edge of the forests in Lufeng, China. About 1.7 million years ago, the Yuanmou man started to walk upright, learned to use fire and construct simple stone tools. This period of time is termed as the Paleolithic age.
About 10 000 years ago, the Paleolithic period evolved into the Neolithic period. Signs of life have been found in regions around the Yangtze river, Yellow river and Liao river areas. In fact, evidence of rice cultivation and considerable standards of stone ware s and pottery was found.
Xia Dynasty (c. 2100 — c.1600 BC)
Xia is the first dynasty of recorded Chinese history. It was started by an individual named Yu who succeeded in controlling the floods and was made leader of a coalition of tribes. After he died, his son Qi took over. Hence, this started the practice of hereditary succession.
Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC)
Following the Xia was the Shang dynasty. Oracle bone scriptures which is the first ever recorded writings in Chinese history was found in Shang Dynasty. The Shang Dynasty was renowned in the Bronze Age for its remarkable skills in bronze making.
Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC)
The Zhou Dynasty was divided into the Western and Eastern Zhou dynasties. The Western Zhou Dynasty established its capital in Haojing, near Xi’an. The Eastern Zhou was signified by the relocation of the capital to Luoyi, known as today’s Luoyang.
It was during the Eastern Zhou dynasty that Chinese history saw a period of war and chaos. The period between 770 BC and 476 BC is termed “Spring and Autumn Period” where the Dukes under the Emperor competed amongst themselves and established different states. The period between 475 BC to 221 BC is called the “Warring States” where China was composed of 7 states (Qin, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei and Qi).
Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC)
Later on, Emperor Ying Zheng (Qin Shi Huang) from the Qin State conquered the remaining size states and succeeded in unifying China for the first time. In 221BC, he instituted a centralised system of governance and laid down rules in many form of society to unify the way of doing things. For instance, unifying the units of measurements, written language etc.
Han Dynasty (206 BC — 220 AD)
The Han Dynasty was divided into two dynasties: the Western Han and the Eastern Han. During this period, China made rapid advancements in development in areas such as handicrafts, commerce and natural sciences. The fame Silk Road was also constructed and brought about greater increase in connectivity and trade between China and the rest of the world, especially in Western Asia.
Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties (220–589)
This is known as the Three Kingdom Period, consisting of Western Jin (265–316), Eastern Jin (317–420) and the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420–589). This enduring chaos brought about economic convergence between the South and North as well as the mixing of different cultures and ethnicity. Buddhism which had been brought to China during the Han dynasty was spread far and wide across the country, and gradually became an important component of Chinese ideology.
Sui Dynasty (581–618)
The establishment of the Sui dynasty brought an end to the previous dynasty. During this period, the construction of the Grand Canal linking Beijing and Hangzhou in Zhejiang province was completed, making it a north-south bound water transportation artery. This was an important event and helped to strengthen the connection between the North and the South.
Tang Dynasty (618–907)
The Tang dynasty was the time when China was the most open and prosperous. China experienced cultural exchanges with many countries in the world where foreigners entered China to learn from the Chinese culture and China opened itself to foreign countries. The huge level of openness can be seen by the fact that Chinatowns across different parts of the world are also termed as the Tang People Street 唐人街. The Tang Dynasty also witnessed outstanding accomplishments in the arts such as painting, music and literature.
Five Dynasty and Ten Kingdoms (907–960)
After the fall of the Tang dynasty, China lapsed into a brief period of warfare. Five dynasties emerged one after another in the central plains, namely the Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han and the Later Zhou, and ten separatist states.
Song Dynasty (960–1279)
Song Dynasty was divided into the Northern Song and Southern Song dynasties. The founding of the Northern Song Dynasty put an end to the disunity that had started by the end of the Tang Dynasty. Great progress was made in terms of social productivity, as well as science and technology, culminating in the invention of movable clay type printing and the utilisation of gun power for the first time in mlitary affairs.
Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368)
Yuan dynasty was ruled by the Mongols. It was also a time where China occupied the largest territory in history. Urban business boomed and cities such as Dadu (Beijing) in the north and Hangzhou in the south became important commercial centers.
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
Ming is the last feudal kingdom under the rule of Han ethnicity. Its capital was located in today’s Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. It was here that the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chengzu (1360–1424) began to build the Forbidden City of Beijing where he later relocated his capital in 1421. Techniques in making fire arms, which had first been developed in the Song Dynasty had reached very high standards. Zheng He’s voyages to the west demonstrated to the world Ming China’s shipbuilding technology and navigation power. At this time, the handicrafts industry prospered in places such as Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province which became the center of porcelain making.
Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
Qing was the last Chinese dynasty that employed the institution of a centralised government. The rulers were of Manchurian ethnicity, though it still kept most Han features in its political institutions, except for a few details which belonged to the Manchurian customs. Manchurians were made to assimilate into the Han culture so that there would be peace and harmony. Therefore, the Qing’s economy expanded.
