Category: Chinese Dynasties

This segment discusses two main royal powers in world history the Han administration and the Roman Empire. It talks about their inceptions: how each used a single role to operate a vast regional domain, and how each of them joined various groups of people under its control. It also manages the major accomplishments of the realms, such as the construction of the Great Wall of China and the streets and water passages of Rome. At the end of the day, the ways of these two domains crossed as the trade spread along the Silk Road. Indeed, even the realms had their limits, and neither the Han administration nor the Roman Empire was a special case.

Wilderness Cultures presented challenges and provided principles that could now and then question the focal authority. The sovereign was at the pinnacle of Han culture. He did control the Han government, however, to offer both honorability and the appointed clergymen, who usually came from the discerning nobility class. The Han Empire was divided into territories that were constrained by the focal government, using the advancement of Qin, regarded as commanders, and the various semi-self-sufficient domains. Globalizing empires, empires that secured a lot of territories had radically different peoples, had an influence beyond their own periphery, and sought to absorb defeated citizen groups from 300 BC to 300 BC China and Rome (Han and Roman domains) as they had been templates for later realms and displayed a different degree of legislative and military sophistication, had an influence beyond their own fringes, and Their important advancement was not that they found improved ways to furrow properties in the large armed forces and general administration, or in the light of the reality that the rulers gave new defenses to their level. Or maybe what the Romans and the Han understood from their archetypes was their duty to bring defeated neighbors and adversaries into their worlds by enlarging rules, providing frames of portrayal, sending out systems of belief, colonizing territories, and advancing trade inside and past their realms.

The Chinese pioneer emperor Wu Chinese recognized as the ‘Military Emperor’ reigned through his various military mission on the Han line, and ruled from 141 to 87 BC, imperial college, in order to allow the Qin tradition of the giant state; the three-six commanders of that area were subdivided into regions (xian). Their important advance was not to discover better ways to furrow assets into the broad military and popular administration or to support their level by the rulers. Or, possibly, what the Romans and the Hans also known through their archetypes was a promise to include triumphant neighbors and enemies in their worlds – by extending law and offering portrayal structures, sending out conviction structures, colonizing territories, and fostering trade-in and across their empires. For example, the ordinary citizen’s justice and the Han Empire’s public officer were commonplaces, while the resident, the warrior, and the leading military official were essential to the. Roman Empire. In China, as the models of past domains figured out, dynastic kingdoms developed themselves. On the other hand, Rome began as a controlled city and continued to regulate its road as if something revolutionary was being made. However, Romans were highly customary, yet revered their ancestors.

Close to the Chinese. All new worlds have entered vast masses of land and radically different cultures. At the Roman Empire, it was set up in the lower reaches of the Nile, in advanced Egypt, part of Sudan, and part of Ukraine from what is now Scotland, and the Roman Empire was bordered by the outskirts of the inner Eurasian steppe, and in the Caucasus to the Atlantic coasts of North Africa. The Roman Empire operated over territory all around the Mediterranean Sea it overwhelmed an immense whole land mass. However, like Han China, through savage military creation, the Romans gained order over their truth. By the first CE century, the Romans had been mobilized to generate unparalleled racial assemblies and smaller States in a loner, immense political state, almost constantly battling their neighbors. The Romans carried out unassailable military force by bringing together the networks they had overcome in Italy to build work for their army. The creation began about 340 BC when the Romans threatened their native Latin city-states with a concerted invasion. At that time, many of the Latins saw Rome not as a companion in a shared guard relationship, but as a challenge to their own rights. Following their defeat by the Latins, the Romans ordered the dismantling in Italy of one network in turn. Rome gathered huge depots of military labor last year, requesting its crushed rivals to supply a versatile number of men for the Roman army.

Amidst the chaos during the end of the Zhou Dynasty and the beginning of the Warring State period (475 – 221 B.C.E), three schools of belief were developed. These schools were Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist and they carried the task of restoring peace and order to society due to the warfare that had engulfed the Chinese states. Confucianism is the belief concerned with a person’s character and conduct, Confucianists believed these were keys to a prosperous society. Daoism is the belief that people in the society should seek out harmony and should avoid getting involved with politics or affairs as such in order for society to prosper. Legalism is the belief that focused on harsh punishments for petty crimes and maximizing the ruler’s power during times of both War and Peace. All of these schools of belief are distinctive; however, they all contain a degree of overlap in their teachings. From my viewpoint, I find that Confucianism and Daoism are the best beliefs to form a prosperous society, due to the focus on righteousness and moral character when combined with Daoism society would be more focused on each other and no one person or party would have total control over society and would function with little government intervention. When government intervention is necessary it would involve a more individual moral punishment instead of a typical crime punishment system, while legalism is extra in the sense that it would punish citizens with the harsh punishment possible for the littlest of crimes and the system focuses on giving the power to one ruler rather than giving citizens flexibility with power and authority.

Confucianism was founded by a Chinese scholar named Kong Fuzi (Latinized, Confucius) he lived from 551 – 479 B.C.E., He was alive when China consisted of only a few feudal states and they were under the Zhou Dynasty rule but acted independently (Fuzi 1). Fuzi and many of his contemporaries were concerned with the state of turmoil, competition, and warfare between the feudal states (Fuzi 1). In “The Selections from the Confucian Analects: on Government”, the reading reveals some of Fuzi’s beliefs on government and order. Fuzi believed in punishing someone by showing they were dishonorable rather than a typical punishment, due to its ineffectiveness and in revealing dishonorable behavior. It makes people question his moral uprightness which is a foundational value in this school of belief (Fuzi 1). He also believed that the ruler should pick his own ministers according to ritual and these ministers should serve the ruler loyally, this is a great idea because you don’t want just any minister to perform certain rituals, as they may not be as familiar or acquainted with it as another minister might be. This flows into the point Fuzi made about letting people do jobs that they are genuinely good at not just giving people positions, the reason being that this can lead to unethical ness in the society and this would lead to a power struggle in the system making someone have to overly assist someone because of the incompetence in that position. Fuzi’s goal was to have/create a society that genuinely cared about one another, which is why I believe the first thing he said to go in society if it must be the military, then the food, and then the confidence of the people (Fuzi, 3). The confidence of people is the heart of the belief, because if they don’t believe in the system and work within the system then it will simply just collapse; this belief puts people and their morals first and does everything in its power to keep everyone on the straight and narrow to achieve prosperity.

Daoism was developed by individuals that rejected Confucianism ideas specifically on the grounds of moral development and social order; they favored attending to a person’s physical and psychological health. This means they would teach people individual techniques for preserving the life spirit and use faith to remove bad or undesirable influences (Berger 129). One important thing to note is that Dao’s teachings, they recognized no law, unlike legalism and Confucianism where they are very strict on order through shaming or central law. One of the main books in Daoism is “Daodejing” It was written by several authors during the third century BCE, and the book involved the mysterious character, Laozi which means “the old master” (Laozi 1). “The more sharp weapons people have, The more disorder is fomented in the family and state”. When Laozi makes this statement, he is stating that he is not in favor of people bearing arms or using them to conduct and uphold social order. Similarly, Fuzi stated that if something must go in society then it would be the military, in both cases we see that they don’t want weapons to be the main source of maintaining social order in their society. In Daoism Laozi doesn’t believe in putting value into possessions scares and does not, as a result, people will not steal (Laozi 1). This belief system is best described as “Ignorance is Bliss” because the believers show no concern or worry about items or laws, only on people and their well-being; this is the most laid back and simplest belief of the three providing the least amount of social order and government action in society.

The Legalist belief was the work of several individuals but the one we credit with the most impact and influence is Han Fei, he abandoned the Confucian belief in favor of a more hardheaded and strong-arm approach, inspired by men like Shang Yang (Fei 1). He is most commonly recognized as having developed a thorough and systematic synthesis of Legalist and Daoist Beliefs which is found in a book that bears his name. In “The Five Vermin” Fei talks about how state offices only want men of great integrity and good faith, but now there are far too many positions and not enough good men to fill them so instead of excessively screening men for the positions the ruler will impose strict rules and guidelines for the men to follow and if they break any of these guidelines they will be met with dire consequences. Legalism is by far the most strict and extreme when It comes to keeping order and promoting a prospering society, comparing this to Confucianism they both believe in order but legalists believe in enforced-based punishment whereas Confucius believes in more shaming methods of punishment. The philosophy is virtually driven by the ruler’s judgment on how society should prosper, the goal of this belief is to give the ruler/administration as much power and control as possible in order to organize the state’s territory and people (Berger 133). While it takes a much more different approach to prosperity than the other two philosophies, that does not mean it is any less effective, it just seems like if the people are just giving power to the government or a ruler then over time they won’t be happy that they don’t have a say and that’ll have an impact of how fast they meet their goal of prosperity; what’s prosperity if the people aren’t confident and happy.

Confucianism is the middle ground of belief in this situation, offering strict rules similar to legalism but not as serve in actual punishment; the method of punishment is shame oriented rather than pain and enforcement style. Daoism is the most unrestricted philosophy, they believe in no punishment or law, they focus more on a therapy style of resolving issues in society, and they like to do things based on individual needs instead of focusing on the general needs of the people. Overall the best situation would be for a society to have a mixture of Confucianism and Daoism, the Confucianism order system, and bits of Daoism such as the people avoiding a lot of government interaction. This way the government only intervenes when they absolutely have to and when they do the people will have an input on how matters will be handled. Legalism works only as a government that is used to govern or control people in order to prosper, whereas Confucianism gives people a little more flexibility when it comes to governing as long as the people stay righteous and in the faith of the system. With Confucianism and Daoism, society will prosper at a faster rate, due to the freedom that people feel and the fact that the people aren’t all heavily involved in government affairs; as long as the people stay honest and believe in the system the state will succeed in its goal of reaching a prosperous society.

Through a strong centralized government, the Shang dynasty is thought to have ruled for over seven hundred years. It was founded when a man named Tang overthrew the Xia dynasty circa 1760 BC and founded the Shang dynasty with himself as the ruler. Generations of successors kept the tradition of having an omnipotent religious king who ruled over a mass of commoners and a small number of nobles. Shang China was located around the Yellow River which provided fertile soil to farmers. As this decreased the number of farmers required to feed the empire, some workers turned to other jobs like metallurgy. Many advancements were made during the rule of Shang kings including developing a writing system, inventing technology such as bronze working, a divorcement of jobs, as well as the formation of major cities which would be ruled by a bureaucracy headed by an emperor. Though they were overthrown by the Zhou dynasty circa 1046, the influence of the Shang never died away.

The Shang dynasty had multiple complex institutions which included their government and their religion. Their government was a theocracy led by a king who claimed power from the Shang sky god Shangdi and from prior kings and ancestors. Below him were nobles who were often related by blood to the king. These aristocrats owned land which was worked by the commoners. Though whether the commoners were slaves or just serfs forced to pay a tax is unknown but large numbers of them have been found in tombs with the aristocrats and kings, likely due to the belief that they would continue to serve in the afterlife. One such example is Lady Hao, the wife of the last king in the Shang dynasty. She had sixteen others buried with her though this is not that much compared to other rulers in the Shang dynasty who could have 164 commoners buried with them. Commoners could also be forced to serve the king directly by working on an empire-wide project if commanded to. Though the king did rule the nobles and command the commoners, much of the king’s job was religious. One job he did as the chief priest was reading oracle bones. These were tortoise shells or other bones on which the king or another important leader wrote questions. The bones were then heated until they cracked or poked with a hot poker. These cracks were thought of as messages from the gods so a king or a priest read them to answer the original question. Not only did the Shang believe in shamanism, but they also believed in animism, which is the belief that objects and animals have souls. This was shown through engravings on bronze pots which are thought to have religious significance. Lastly, the Shang promoted respect for their ancestors. Though they were not worshiped like the Shang gods were, they were thought to cause mischief and bring strife to the family if not appeased with offerings. However, these complex institutions depended on written records.

Much about the Shang dynasty has been learned from written records such as oracle bones. At the beginning of the Shang dynasty, this form of divination was used by commoners and aristocrats alike though the aristocrats used it more as they had money to pay. Near the end of the dynasty though, access was restricted to the king or other officials. Written on the oracle bones were the question, the name of the person asking the question, the predicted answer, and the result of applying that answer. As the kings used the oracle bones often, archaeological scholars have discovered the names of most kings during certain periods in the Shang dynasty. The questions asked provided information on both the daily lives of commoners as well as major events such as wars because oracle bones would often be consulted before making a major decision. Though the Shang likely wrote on wood, bamboo, or silk, evidence for these cannot be found as they have long since decomposed. More examples of writing have been found on pottery, bronze pots, horn, and jade but these are not nearly as numerous as oracle bones of which over one hundred thousand have been found in storage pits. The system of writing the Shang used was called Jiaguwen which contained over three thousand pictographic characters. Though people from different parts of the empire might speak languages that were slightly different, the writing was standardized throughout the entire kingdom. This connected the empire and allowed trade to flourish despite the speaking difficulties. While the written records kept the government stable and promoted trade, Shang China would have been invaded much sooner than they were if it were not for their well-equipped military.

The Shang created numerous technologies designed for battle. One example is their war chariot. These were made out of wood, bamboo, and other canes. Bronze parts were also included though they did not make up the majority of the vehicle. The makeup of chariots has been studied from the twenty-five chariots that have been found buried in tombs as well as their riders and horses. Most chariots had two wheels though some had four and the number of horses varied from two to four as well. Chariots were important in battle as they could be used as a place for archers to shoot from, a raised platform for commanders, as well as a mobile vehicle that could be used as shock troops. Inside the chariots were a driver, an archer, and an armed soldier who could leave the chariot to fight in hand-to-hand combat if necessary. Despite the many uses, chariots were only owned by wealthy rulers as they were costly to build. Not only were chariots used for war but they were also a marking of wealth and power so they could have been used in ceremonies. Another important technological advancement is the working of bronze into boxes, jars, and weapons. To create these the Shang used a method called piece molding. First molds were created out of clay and designs were carved into them. Then molten bronze was poured into them and left to cool. When the bronze was cool, the clay was broken off and the different pieces of the object were put together. As the war was essential in fending off barbarians and conquering new lands, much work was put into creating strong bronze weapons. Nevertheless, bronze weapons remained a luxury held only by people who were of a high enough ranking to afford them meaning the most commoners would not have access to them. They were not rare among the nobles though and the royal family had them in abundance. For example, Lady Hao, the wife of the last king, was buried with 157 bronze weapons. These advances in military technology were essential in keeping the Shang dynasty free from invaders until they were finally defeated by the Zhou, an end to the dynasty but not the culture of the Shang.

The Shang dynasty contained all the aspects of civilization but particularly demonstrated advanced complex institutions, writing, and technology. Its strong government with power rooted in the king as both a political and religious leader kept order and unified the people into a nation. This was supported by writing which allowed connections to form between different parts of the empire and was an important part of the Shang religion. Though they did not last forever, the well-equipped military was outfitted with weapons and chariots which allowed the Shang to hold off barbarians and conquer others. The Shang ruled successfully for seven hundred years and though not much is left of their cities, they set the basis for many Chinese civilizations in the future.

Works Cited

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China has the oldest civilization country. Its culture is extremely different from other cultures all over the world. China is the third-largest country in the world but, it is the largest country in terms of population. The mountains and great rivers of China split China into three parts; Tibet, Mongolia, and Eastern China. The Chinese flag is red with one big star and four small stars. The red of the flag represents the revolution along with being their traditional color. The one big star represents communism and the other four stars represent the social class of the people such as the farmers, working class, intellectuals, and the patriotic capitalist. The great wall of China is one of the points of pride for all Chinese people.

During the Song Dynasty, many new methods charmed the people and became the peak of several long-established genres. While one sees the advancement of visual arts through the Song Dynasty, landscape painting established itself as the most widespread and important of the many structures during this time. The dramatic arts became the most enjoyed form of entertainment in the Song Dynasty. The everyday life of a citizen never had a dull moment. Chinese art and recreation came to a peak of excellence during the Song Dynasty as landscape painting became an ideal practice, the theater grew to be central entertainment, and the life of a citizen never lacked extraordinary activities.

The Song dynasty era lasted from 960 to 1279. The Song dynasty is separated into two periods which are the Northern Song and Southern Song. Many innovations flourished in the Song dynasty. Many new advances in science succeeded and the use of gunpowder was invented.

Taizu was the first emperor of the Song Dynasty. There was a bureaucratic system where he would pick the government officials by making them take a civil service examination to provide all of the information of the scholar to be put into a certain position. In time, civil bureaucrats conquered each phase of the Song government and civilization. This system headed to a better attentiveness of control in the ruler than had been seen in previous dynasties. However, the military in the Song Dynasty was weaker than in the Tang Dynasty.

Even though the military was not very strong, the economy was running very well. The Song dynasty had a very large population which helped with agriculture advances along with the adoption of rice. Not only did the large population help but so did the craft industry, the division of labor became more comprehensive which made the handcrafted skill reach an innovative level; additionally, the expansion of the production economy surpassed the prior dynasty. Also, the first paper money appeared during the Song dynasty. During the early years of the Song Dynasty, authorities awarded selected shops a monopoly on the issuing of these documents of deposit. In the 1120s the government took over the system, producing the world’s first government-issued paper money.

The Song dynasty had many equal rights for women during this period. Women were allowed legal rights to manage their households along with the right to create businesses. They educated their children when they were young and could inherit property from their birth family. Women married between the age of sixteen and twenty. The husbands were normally older than their wives. There were arranged marriages during this time which were fixed by the parents, professional matchmakers, or friends and relatives. After the wedding, the bride’s priority is to bear a son and please her mother-in-law. Women usually had up to six children. When the women’s children grew, she had to find suitable marriage partners. The decline in the status of women in Song times was sometimes blamed on Neo-Confucianism. Foot-binding also began during the Song Dynasty. This is the practice of binding the feet of girls with long strips of cloth to keep them from growing large. Moms wanted them to be judged as more beautiful.

During the Song Dynasty, Confucianism was an idea. Confucianism was a big part of starting meditation. To Confucius harmony was the most desirable state, and once personal harmony was disturbed it was best restored through compromise. If one had been wronged, it was better to suffer the experience than to disrupt harmony by complaining. Also, it was considered correct to forgive, tolerate, and cooperate with others. More important, one should convince the other person; that is, one needed to draw out the other’s cooperation. In short, Confucianism highly valued compromise and persuasion as well as the negotiator who was able to assure them.

Confucius’s teachings taught their followers well. Confucianism considers the Way, or Truth, as consistent with an approach to life, politics, and tradition. Hsiin Tzu, who was an important early Confucian, stressed that though the existence of the way of heaven is recognized, Dao insisted primarily concerns human affairs. Confucianism emphasized the ethics of the way, which explicitly stresses nature and righteousness.

The ideology of life in Confucianism is based on the value orientation of moral and salvation career. Confucianism has a close interest in social reality and a strong sense of mission on history that the country management and governess as own responsibility. It suggests that a person should keep learning and practicing what has been discovered to become generous and righteous for himself, help others, manage state affairs as well as protect the peace of the country. Nothing is better than doing something because the latter may break the perfection and harmony of nature.

The Song dynasty was located in the east half of the modern-day People’s Republic of China. However, it did not occupy the northernmost areas. During the Northern Song period, the Song capital was in the northern city of Bianjing. After the Song lost control of northern China to the Jurchen Jin dynasty in the Jin–Song Wars the Southern Song period began and the new capital was established at Lin ‘an, located south of the Yangtze River.

Throughout the Song Dynasty, scientific progress was made. During the Song Dynasty, one of the era’s best-known scientists was Shen Kuo. He wrote many scientific articles on his own personal research along with essays involving the research, discoveries, and techniques of others. His compilation of scientific knowledge is known as the Dream Pool Essays. This work contained the head of knowledge in many areas such as the areas of astronomy, magnetism along with other fields. He personally discovered the concepts of true north and magnetic needle compass’s declination towards the North. An example Shen Kuo haven written of the techniques of innovative people in his large scientific structure is his essay about how a modern printer manufactured and used movable type. The printer produced thin ceramic characters himself and arranged them on a block. By using this method hundreds of sheets were able to be produced quickly.

One of the eras of a majestic ancient civilization that has left a lasting impression upon the world of today is the Chinese Song Dynasty. Established by General Zhao Kuangyin this dynasty lasted from 960–1279 AD and brought new stability to China after many decades of civil war, and led to a new era of modernization. It was divided into the Bei (Northern) and the Nan (Southern) Song periods. This brilliant cultural era gave birth to major advances in economic development, and achievements in technology, and helped to advance medical knowledge.

During the Song Dynasty, different kinds of gunpowder were invented for various uses. In 1044 AD Zeng Gongliang and Yang Weide wrote the Collection of the Most Important Military Techniques where several methods of making powerful blasting powder with a large percentage of nitrate were contained. These experiments and improvements in gunpowder formulas led to more powerful weapons, including bombs.

Many technological advances were also made. The statesman and scholar Su Song were known for his engineering project of the Astronomical Clock Tower of Kaifeng. Upon the top of the clock tower was the large bronze, mechanically driven, rotating armillary sphere. The clock tower also included an endless power-transmitting chain drive and had different clock jacks to both indicate and sound the hours.

The Fall of Two Revolutionary Civilizations

The Han Tradition and the Roman Realm were two thousand domains that emerged from previous regions and gave relative harmony over wide territories. The breakdown of the Qin Administration (221-206 BCE), which was the primary incredible land-based domain in East Asia, came after a time of war, perplexity, and domineering guidelines. Because of the political issue that originated from the early dynastic movement, the development of the Han Tradition (206 BCE-228 CE) sprung to concentrate on reestablishing requests. Then again, the ascent of the Roman Domain (44 BCE-476 CE) started with solidifying authority over distinguished landowners and abrogating the equitable components of the prior Republic. Rather, the Roman Realm re-imagined the idea of ‘resident’ as subjects to… show increasingly content…

The Roman and Han Domains were among the best realms throughout the entire existence of the World. Both decisions in the principal century of BC, the Han line-topping during the 200s and the Roman Domain during the 400s, these realms indicated extraordinary military force, strived in financial exchange, and their regions secured tremendous land. So how did these incredible realms end up plunging into a sad breakdown? Despite the fact that there are numerous likenesses in the purposes behind the spoiling of these domains, there are additionally a few differentiating explanations behind the decreases in financial exchange, impacts of the evolving populaces, and the disappointment of the political frameworks.

The Roman and Han domains similarly strived monetarily in exchange. Notwithstanding, the decrease in exchange influenced Rome more than Han China. Numerous Chinese people groups were independent, and most exchanges were done between networks. The Roman economy depended vigorously on an exchange, and as exchange courses became bargained, privateers and scoundrels started taking merchandise from vendors making a decrease in exchange and benefits. Less exchange diminished the measure of duties returning to the legislature. As opposed to exchange, raising duties uniformly debilitated the two domains. The Roman and Han Realms raised duties to help their developing armed forces. As charges expanded, the poor couldn’t pay them. Since rich landowners in the two realms were not required to make good on charges, numerous workers fled to these proprietors for assurance. In Rome, this influenced exchange by causing the assessment of great to go up, making swelling.

Both the Roman and Han Domains experienced social distress during their breakdown. Workers got enraged with the raise in expenses and began to revolt in China. The Chinese utilized their military to stop these rebellions however before long required more troopers. The Han government constrained numerous ranchers and others to battle, creating a bigger gathering of furious residents and delivering hesitant warriors. Then again, the Romans didn’t battle with revolts yet rather religion. As Christianity spread all through the Roman Realm, authorities attempted to kill it. They made laws forbidding Christianity with the result being the unfeeling disciplines or demise. As a last fasten exertion, the head proclaimed himself an incomparable god. Obviously, all plans fizzled and Christianity kept on spreading further cracking the once ground-breaking domain.

Traveling intrusions hassled both Roman and Han domains. Migrants assaulted the edges of the huge regions making little settlements. The Romans were assaulted by Germanic clans while Han China experienced assaults by the Huns. These Germanic clans were unrivaled in military innovation and undermined Roman powers. During Caesar’s standard, these itinerant people groups attempted to vanquish little urban communities however fizzled and at last chose the edges of the domain. Interestingly, the Huns, brutal, savage men, drove a few assaults and crushed a few Roman armies. These assaults required a need of a huge armed force from the two realms, yet with charges dropping and the developing absence of good power, most militaries fizzled.

Numerous variables assumed jobs in the come up short of once ground-breaking realms. Both the Roman and Han domains prospered and had a fruitful rule. In any case, little mix-ups made by the focal governments caused colossal issues socially, monetarily, and strategically. A definitive disappointment of these domains can be resolved by the offended residents, the intense decrease in exchange and crops, and the assaults from itinerant people groups just as ruined political authorities.

Religion and beliefs had a huge impact on the ancient world which you can see through Ancient Egypt and China. It was used to guide people throughout their life but also as a form of social control. Both Egypt and China used religious beliefs to determine how to live their lives and also to base their social control systems.

Religion and belief systems had a large influence on Ancient China and Egypt, particularly through values people used to guide their life and actions. For example, in Ancient Egypt according to ‘Ancient History Encyclopedia’ people had to follow ma’at, meaning ‘harmony’ in order to continue to the Afterlife. Religious belief in the Afterlife meant that during day-to-day practices Ancient Egyptians had to behave. Similarly, in Confucianism according to ‘Primal Trek’ Filial Piety charms such as this was found in China. Filial piety is the belief that a child should respect his or her parents, therefore meaning that charms like this would have been regularly worn to represent this. The belief in wanting to go to the afterlife or the belief in the Filial Piety religion was able to influence how people lived their lives daily. The ancient world was influenced by religion, particularly in day-to-day life and actions.

Beliefs and religious beliefs had an effect on Ancient Egypt and China and both affected the social control and governance systems. For example, in Ancient Egypt, as you can see in this carving pharaohs and gods are depicted together. By displaying a close relationship with the gods, Pharaohs were able to justify their actions. Historians have concluded that the High Priests in league with the Pharaoh were believed to be able to receive information from the gods. Due to this, the people of Ancient Egypt followed the Pharaoh as he or she was acting under the instructions of the gods. The people of Ancient Egypt placed all their faith in the gods, therefore the Pharaoh could use the gods in their religion as a form of social control therefore creating political stability. Confucianism in China also acted as a form of social control. For example, as you can see in this photograph taken there are people worshipping Confucius. Confucius had values and beliefs he wanted people to follow which created Confucianism. In Ancient China the Emperor would uphold people these values creating a justice system. By the Emperor enforcing these values, like in Ancient Egypt with the pharaoh, social control was formed. People believed so much in Confucius’ teachings that because the emperor was also using these teachings trust and political stability were formed. Through common belief, the emperor was able to create control within communities by relating to people through religion. The emperor had the same beliefs just in a higher role of power so people listened to them because this gave the emperor control and created social security. In both religions, because everyone believed in the same or similar values, it created a sense of security and control within the community and within the country’s leadership. In Ancient Egypt and China Religion influenced systems of governance, therefore, influencing how ancient societies functioned.

Through looking at Ancient Egyptian religion and Confucianism in Ancient China we can see the ancient world was greatly influenced by religion. It affected day-to-day life and actions as also social control and their systems of governance. I hope you learned something about religion in Ancient China and Egypt but I also hope that from this you were encouraged to reflect on how else the ancient world was influenced by religion.

Ancient China The civilization of Ancient China dates back thousands of years. Over this long period of time much of China was ruled by different dynasties. What is a dynasty? A dynasty is when one family rules a country or region over a long period of time. Generally, the head of the family will be the ruler of the land, like an emperor or king. When that ruler dies, another member of the family will take power, usually the oldest son. When a new family takes control, then a new dynasty begins.

The first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huangdi by Unknown Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven is what the Chinese people believed gave their rulers the right to be king or emperor. It meant that the gods had blessed that person with the right to rule. A ruler had to be a good and just ruler to keep the Mandate of Heaven. When a ruler or dynasty lost power, this meant that they must also have lost the Mandate of Heaven. Major Dynasties Here are the major dynasties in the history of Ancient China: Xia (2205 to 1575 BC) – The first dynasty in China, very little is known about the Xia. Shang (1570 to 1045 BC) – The Shang ruled much of the area along the Yellow River. Their last capital city was the great city of Yin. Zhou (1045 to 256 BC) – The longest ruling dynasty in the history of China, the Zhou first used the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. Much of the land was ruled by feudal lords who were relatives of the Zhou family. Qin (221 BC to 206 BC) – The beginning of the Chinese Empire, Shi Huangdi became the first Chinese Emperor. Although this was a short dynasty much was accomplished including the beginning of the Great Wall; standards were set for weights, measures, and money; many roads and canals were built; and a single type of writing was used throughout the country.

All of these advancements would be used in future dynasties to make China strong. Han (206 BC to 220 AD) – The Han dynasty established the civil service to create a strong and organized government. Paper and porcelain were also invented during this time. The Han also embraced Confucianism, poetry, and literature. Six Dynasties (222 to 581 AD) – A period of time where China was not united under a single leader. Sui (589 to 618 AD) – The Sui unite China again under one rule. They also expanded the Great Wall and built the Grand Canal. Tang (618 – 907) – A period of peace and prosperity, the Tang rule is sometimes known as the Golden Age of Ancient China. Arts, literature, and technology all flourish.

The capital city Chang’an becomes the world’s largest city. Five Dynasties (907 – 960) – A peasant rebellion takes down the Tang dynasty and ushers in a period of division. Song (960 – 1279) – Reunited under the Song, China becomes a world leader in science and technology including inventions such as gunpowder and the compass. Yuan (1279 – 1368) – After the Mongols defeated the Song in a long war, Kublai Khan, a Mongol leader, established the Yuan dynasty. Ming (1368 – 1644) – The last of the great Chinese dynasties, the Ming finished the Great Wall and built the Forbidden City, an enormous palace for the Emperor. The Ming came into power by overthrowing the rule of the Mongols.

The Ming Dynasty came after the collapse of the Mongols and lasted for more than 200 years. They were one of the first great powers due to the strong military. They had more than 2,000 scholars contribute to organize and compile previous historical writings, geographies, philosophies, ethics, government writings, and more. During this time period, they were revamping, reintroducing China after the Mongolian Empire. The Mongolian Empire had made China lose much of this, and the Ming Dynasty sought to restructure and put it into society once again. Ming Dynasty also relocated the capital of China to Beijing. During this time, there was the creation of the Forbidden City for the upper social classes. Ming Dynasty looked to its past for restructuring after the Mongolian Empire. They invested in defense for China’s security. This essay analyzes China under the Ming rule.

China has never abandoned the Confucian thinking and Confucian market values that stemmed from the Ming Dynasty in 1368. In Confucian’s ideal society there were four castes; the Shi, Nong, Gong, and Shang. Each had their own specified role to play in the economy as soon as they were born. The Shi were at the top of the food chain, they originally came from the warrior caste, but eventually began to integrate aristocratic scholars and educated bureaucracy into their ranks. They were highly respected because intelligent persons were hard to come by due to limited access to books and knowledge. The Nong- By status, these farmers were second only to the Shi. Due to periodic famine and agricultural deficiency in the country, farmers were seen as vital to the empire. The Gong were basically landless artisans and were seen as important because they possessed a unique skill which could be passed down to future generations by means of apprenticeship, inheritance, etc. The Shang did not produce any kind of agricultural or artisanal crop, they only traded and/or transported products that were made by the Nong and the Gong. Because of this, they were looked down on in society by those who thought them to be motivated by greed and only living off the labor of others. However, later on in the timeline, commercialization increased and the affluent Shang gradually became part of the land-owning upper crust.

The Economy during the Ming period of China’s history was truly no less than booming. Especially with new innovative agriculture methods being tested, and the trademark Ming porcelain being churned out at the speed of light. Farmers at this time in China were using innovative methods like crop rotation, and plowing powered by water. A positive impact of this was the large increase of the output of agricultural gain. Due to an excess of crop, a market economy developed, which allowed farmers to work with cash crops: a crop produced for its commercial value rather than for use by the grower. It was also pretty helpful when supporting the growing population. The manufacturing industry at this time made advancements in the speed and variety of products produced. Iron was being produced at an unprecedentedly fast rate, and tea, salt, and likewise industries became privatized as well, but what most notably was how the porcelain making industry grew to unrivaled heights; although, it did not originate in this era, the Ming Dynasty became largely known for its blue and white porcelain. Forced labor had been abolished and laborers were being paid; However, the base of Chinese industry was actually run by the powerful and wealthy merchants of the elite. In 1371 maritime trade is banned in China. In an attempt to cut down on piracy, sea trade is banned in China, and the only way that foreigners were allowed into China is if they are from a country that is part of the Imperial tributary system, but the ban does end in 1405. After this trade and commerce flourished, the Ming built canals, bridges, and roads which made access to trade with faraway markets easier. As a result of this, commercial metropolises such as; Beijing, Nanjing, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Xian, and Chengdu were successively formed. Economic development prospered as trade began to reach places as far as Japan and Europe. And more than 300M silver tails were brought into China by overseas trading. Between 1405 and 1433, the eunuch Admiral Zheng made seven voyages into the so-called Western Ocean, between the South China Sea to the east coast of Africa. The expeditions lasted two years at a time, but they played a vital part in exporting Chinese goods westward and bringing back to China cargoes of pepper, spices, and artifacts, gems, gold and silver.

The Ming government operated very similarly to the United States’ checks and balances, with the exception of the emperor; however his Censorate functioned with ministries parallel to America’s departments. Re-established in 1403, is the Censorate. Subsequently known as ‘censors’, these bureaucrats had direct access to the emperor. These people were the emperor’s “eyes and ears”, they oversaw administrators in order to check corruption, but ironically were regarded with disdain by the people, who told popular stories of righteous censors being corrupted and accepting bribes. The job of the grand secretariat was to help the emperor with paperwork and to work between the six ministries. The six ministries were each their own individual administrative departments, which oversaw several specialized tasks. The Ministry of Personnel handled all matters relating to government employees, from hiring, firing, assessment of work, promotions etc. The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of tax collection, state revenues, and currency. The Ministry of Rites was in charge of all official state ceremonies, reception of foreign leaders, and the priesthood. The Ministry of war was in charge of military administration, and they also ran the courier system. The Ministry of justice was responsible for the legal system and penal process; However, hey did not have jurisdiction over the Censorate. The Ministry of works oversaw government construction projects and maintenance of roads. They also were responsible for the standardization of weights and measures in the country.

Taiping Revolution was a thorough political and spiritual disturbance that probably was the most important event in China during the 19th century. The rebellion was a massive Civil War in Southern China from 1850 to 1864. It was a millenarian movement against the ruling Manchu Qing dynasty. The rebellion ravaged 17 provinces and took an estimated twenty million lives. It also irrevocably altered the Qing dynasty. This research paper analyzes into details the causes of the rebellion, the events that took place during the rebellion and the effects of the rebellion to China as a nation.

Taiping Rebellion commenced under the influence of Hong Xiuquan who lived from 1814 to 1864. The leader of the revolution was greatly influenced by the Christian teachings, and he was said to have had a lot of visions from God. Xiuquan had the belief that he was the son of God and a younger brother of Jesus, who was sent to reform China. Hong’s friend took advantage of his friend’s ideas and organized a religious group that worshipped God in China. Hong decided to join the religious group among the impoverished peasants of Guangxi in 1847. Three years later, after joining the religious group, Hong led the rebellion that happened to be a deadly conflict in history (Michael, 1966).

The Taiping’s took their beliefs from many alternative sources. A number of these beliefs mirrored ancient philosophical theory and a few were from ancient writings that define ideal systems that had never been practiced. Alternative concepts were Western in origin. Clearly this mix of concepts was terribly powerful. As a result of they introduced concepts were mentioned before, the Taiping’s might promise their followers a completely new system. Their revolutionary program was terribly wideranging. It introduced notions of common property, reform, equal position of girls, self-discipline from narcotic, tobacco and alcohol, calendar reform, literary reform, and in particular, a brand new political-military organization of society.

The established Taiping Heavenly Kingdom by Hong had its capital in Nanjing. The kingdom’s army controlled most of the southern parts of China and had to rule over more than 30 million people. The rebellion was based on the agenda of social reforms among the people, equality in the society and the replacement of other religions such as Buddhism and the Chinese folk religion with Christianity. Social changes were to allow for property sharing and equality for women who were at that time regarded as a minority group in the society.

Those who participated in the Taiping Rebellion took their beliefs from different sources. Their beliefs reflected ancient Confucianism and others were also from the traditional writings that described activities and systems in the history of China that were never practiced. The rebellion also extracted some beliefs from the western countries. The blend of ideas from different origins made the resistance to operate under very strong influence since they introduced ideas that were never discussed before. Because of their new invention of ideas, the Taipings promised their followers a completely new system. They had an innovative program that was very wide ranging. The program touched on the reasons for rebellion such as social reforms, the notions of property sharing, and equal position for women. The rebellion also had strategies to help fight the abuse of opium, tobacco, and alcohol that were dragging behind China due to health implications. Above all, calendar reform and literary reform alongside a new political military organization in the society were other strategies that the rebellion had put in place. The reforms were based on the Christian origins that were followed by the members of the group (Foster, 1951).

China was so huge and the government had difficult time controlling its dominions that stretched out. Given the rise in the number of uprisings in the nineteenth century, they posed a challenge to the state that was also weakened by demographic challenges and foreign encroachment. During the rebellion, politics, social interactions of the society as well as economic life were all interrupted.

Yang Xiuqing, who was the Taiping minister of state, attempted to take over much of Taiping’s power, a situation that led to Yang and a lot of his followers being slain. Hong commanded the murder of Changhui, the general who had slain Yang since he started being arrogant. The murder of the first general led to fear among other generals including Shi Dakar, who even abandoned Hong for fear of his life. Shi Dakar took with him many of Hong’s followers. An attempt by the Taipings to regain their strength in 1860 by taking Shanghai was stopped by the western trained army that proved to be ever victorious during any war. The army was commanded by the American adventurer Fredrick Townsend Ward and later by the British officer Charles George. Hong began ailing and he refused all the pleas to flee. He decided to commit suicide in June 1864 even before he could install his 15 year old son as the Tianwang. Periodic resistance went on in other parts of China until 1868 (Ch’en, Michael and Chang, 1966).

Taiping religious group placed little attention to New Testament ideas of compassion, forgiveness, and redemption. The Taipang Christians rather emphasized the wrathful Old Testament God who demanded worship and obedience. Evil deeds such as prostitution, adultery, and slavery were prohibited as in the Old Testament Bible. The rebellion had a well organized army with strict rules governing soldiers who were on duty. Rewards were given to the soldiers who were loyal to the rebellion. At one point during the rebellion, approximately 100,000 Taipang followers preferred death to capture.

Confucianism greatly influenced the Taipang religion even though much of their borrowing from their traditional religions may have been subconscious. Propaganda and essay writing in the rebellion depended as much on Confucianism as on Christianity. The Chinese could therefore easily accept God as a father figure since ancestor worship had been a common practice to them for many years (Edkins, 2013).

The Taipings’ style was to collect an army and incite the population to rebellion. They were successful for the first time when they captured Hupeh, after being held in the city of Yungan by the emperor’s militia. Taiping rebellion even attempted in the same campaign to seize Kwangsi and Hunan by they were never successful. The initial achievement was balanced by several defeats by the practical forces at sea, where the emperor was well equipped with better material sources. Initially, the goal of the Taipings was to take Nanking, and to spread their rule through the whole of China. The rebellion experienced a lot of challenges such as changing of leaders and being severely factionalized. The kings of Taiping rebellion were selected on the basis of purity and devotion to Christianity. For instance, Yang Hsiu-Ch’ing managed to become the Eastern King and later the head of the entire region. He was initially a charcoal seller but due to his devotion and purity, he became the King of the entire kingdom. Initially, the response of the Manchus to the Taiping rebellion was comparatively straightforward. The heads of Hung Hsiu-Chuan and Ch’en-Huan hung over a Peking gateway until they decomposed. That was one of the major lessons to the rebellion, though there were many more aftershocks. The Manchu government could not withstand the headache that was brought in by Taiping rebellion.

Although the rebellion ended up as a technical failure, it changed the way in which the Chinese governed operated. The rebellion led to devastation and loss of lives, rendering a once fertile area into a desert for the next hundreds of years. The government was greatly shaken by the withdrawal of the land tax since the land was no more productive for years. It had to rely on the maritime customs taken in by nonChinese port operators and the sale of offices in administration. The government had to operate with a lot of organization so as to maximize the limited money that came from limited sources.

The fall of Ch’ing dynasty in the 1900’s lead to foreign influence in China which improved the economy of the country in every respect. Merchants and traders who had been part of the late Manchu dynasty came to China in large numbers, a situation that led to Japan being the dominant power in the country. China was modernized starting from the North and Northeast China as it spread to other parts of the country (Evans, 1999). China was brought very close to the rest of the world by every revolution that was inspired by the Taiping rebellion. The rebellion shared most of the ideas that the globally famous freedom fighters had used to bring change. The rebellion, therefore changed the face of China as slavery and the sale of women was outlawed. The fight against activities like prostitution and arranged marriages changed China to a society where freedom exists.

The Taiping rebellion played an important role in ending China’s Isolationist outlook. Many rebellions that followed after the Taiping rebellion shared the emotions and ideas that came from the Taiping vision. The arrival of strange, new things away from the old ancestral ways made China a society that is composed of a wide range of views.

In conclusion, The Taiping rebellion was a religious movement combined with an anti-Manchu Chinese nationalism. The leaders of the rebellion were motivated to solve the issues of property sharing, equality in China, and the abuse of tobacco and alcohol. The Taiping army attempted to conquer North China but failed, though their fight for change really brought change in China afterwards.

Did the ancient Chinese have different types of dynasties, and what timeline did they exist in?

How am I going to present my work: I will pick three dynasties in chronological order from oldest to most recent and present it in a timeline. I will include a description of key facts on each dynasty, such as duration, leaders such as Kings or Emperors, famous warriors and any famous attributes or discoveries of each dynasty.

Role: I am a historian and my job is to present a timeline of historical and cultural impactive dynasties and show to the younger generations of historians.

Factual questions:

1. Was there more than one type of dynasty?
2. What was their purpose?
3. What time period did it last?
4. Debatable questions:
5. Was the life of a king good?
6. Did they have to be warriors?

Ancient Chinese Dynasties

According to the Oxford dictionary, a Dynasty is a line of hereditary rulers of a country, or a succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business, politics or another field’. In the history of China, there have been many dynasties that have impacted greatly upon the country and its civilisation. For example, cultural influence from the introduction of the Chinese Zodiac calendar which is still used in modern times. Other historic dynasties were known for modernising warfare including the weapons and defence of their time, or others which were known to unite the warring states of China and building famous historical artefacts such as the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Warriors. Since the first recorded history of ancient China, there have been 83 dynasties and 559 emperors. The first known dynasty was the Xia Dynasty lasting 630 years from 2205BC-1575BC. The longest ruling was the Zhou dynasty, lasting 867 years from 1122-255 BC, whilst the Qin Dynasty was the shortest ruling, lasting 15 years from 221 BC to 206 BC.

The Xia Dynasty 2205BC – 1575BC

Before any known or recorded Chinese dynasties, it is believed that there were three Sovereigns that had God-like powers that helped create humanity and invented things like hunting, fishing, writing, medicine, and farming. After the Three Sovereigns came the Five Emperors, who ruled until the beginning of the Xia Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty (pronounced shi-a) is believed to be the first dynasty in ancient China. Because of a lack of physical evidence and artefacts, many historians still debate if the dynasty was real or just a legend, but mainly believed to have started in 2205 BC through to 1575 BC. The Xia dynasty was created by King Yu The Great, who showed great ability and made a name of himself by building canals to stop floods after his father, Gun failed. Most people during the Xia dynasty were farmers. Everyday tools were made from stone and bone but they were also responsible for inventing bronze casting.

When Yu died his son Qi took over, marking the start of a dynasty where the leaders came from the same family and the descendants of King Yu the Great would rule for the next 600 years. There were seventeen rulers of the Xia dynasty, some were viewed as unselfish rulers like King Yu because they cared for their country and its people over themselves. Others were called evil tyrants such as the last ruler King Jie, who was a cruel and oppressive ruler and was overthrown by the Shang Dynasty.

Chinese Zodiac Calendar

The Xia Dynasty is believed to be the first dynasty to introduce the Chinese Zodiac Calendar. This was based on a myth about the Jade Emperor and 13 animals, the rat, ox, tiger, pig, rooster, dog, sheep, rabbit, monkey, horse, dragon, snake and cat. There are many varying stories and legends of the Zodiac animals, but one is when the Jade Emperor gathered the animals to race against each other and whoever won would be put first on the calendar, then in order of finishing. As the cat and the rat didn’t know how to swim, before the race started they both made a plan to ride the ox since he was big and able to walk through the river. They asked the ox who agreed, so they both hopp¬ed on for a ride across. During the race the ox was in the lead with the cat and rat on his head, the rat wanted to win so he pushed the cat off the ox and the cat fell in the river and hissed as she realised she had no chance of winning. The ox was about to pass the finish line until the rat lept off to the finish line, “I got played by a rat!” the ox said as he came in second. The tiger came third as he was swimming underneath the water. The rabbit was in fourth as he hopped easily along the rocks to get across but he worried if he didn’t pick up his pace he would lose his spot. He slipped backwards into the river and saw a log float towards him heading in the direction to the finish line so he then hoped on the log to get across faster. The Jade Emperor was confused why the dragon wasn’t coming first and then he saw the dragon in the air majestically flying towards the finish line. The Jade Emperor asked what took him so long which he replied “I saw a village in need as the crops caught on fire and I couldn’t just leave them there, so I went over and blew it out myself. But I had to be careful so I didn’t set on fire more myself, I then saw the rabbit in need so I blew over the log and helped him get to the finish line, it’s more important to help others then your own.” The Jade Emperor nodded and replied “very well good job”, and the dragon came fifth. As they finished their conversation the horse galloped across the river, but as he was about to cross the line he saw something slither in the grass and jumped back when he realised it was the snake. He lost six places because of his fear so he came in seventh as the snake came in six. In the distance, they could see a raft with a rooster, monkey and a sheep working hard to finish together. They let the sheep come in eighth since she formed the group, the monkey in ninth and the rooster in tenth. Then came the dog all soaked and using all his might to get up on the bank to finish eleventh. The pig who stopped for food on the way didn’t really care and finished last. In the end, the cat didn’t make it to the finish line, so now the cat doesn’t like the rat anymore. The importance of this culture story is that each animal has its own personality and people in the same Chinese Zodiac sign also share these traits.

Chinese Zodiac Calendar and Animals

1. Source: https://internchina.com/chinese-zodiac-animal-of-the-year-calculated-by-the-lunar-calendar/
2. Source: https://community.travelchinaguide.com/forum2.asp?i=71298

Shang Dynasty 1600BC-1046BC

King Jie from the prior Xia dynasty wasn’t very popular as he only cared for himself. A high-ranking warrior named Tang was very strong and gathered enough of the army and civilians to help overthrow King Jie from his power and became the new ruler. With him begun the new Shang dynasty. The Shang dynasty was the first dynasty with physical historic evidence, unlike the Xia Dynasty which was based on myths and historical theories. It started in 1600BC to 1046 BC and was the start of the bronze age. The Shang dynasty was in the yellow river valley in northeast China. King Tang was known as a compassionate ruler and had support from 40 smaller kingdoms, successfully ruling for 17 years. As King Tang did not have any sons to succeed the throne, the Kingship was passed to his aide. But as his aide wasn’t skilled to be a leader, the Dynasty fell in strength over time. The last king of Shang, Zhou was named the “mad” king and he was known as the worst king ever in China because he was similar to King Jie as only cared for himself and not his people and he only used his assistants for own personal use such as wine and drinking. In the end, the Shang gained power by strength, wisdom and compassion but fell due to poor leadership similar to the Xia Dynasty.

The Shang dynasty was known for their inventions in warfare defences and weapons, and knowledge and wisdom compared to most other civilisations at the time.

Shang Dynasty Inventions and Warfare

The Shang Dynasty was known for their inventions and knowledge, which were mainly for war and defending their state. They invented daggers, some were weapons made from bronze, or made from jade and used for decorations or ceremonies such as funerals. They would use daggers to surprise an enemy in an instant or when trying to assassinate a target. They called it a dagger axe because you could hold it and use it like an axe. As they were good with wood, the Shang dynasty also invented chariots. A fully decorated chariot would be covered by bronze ornaments and bronze screws to keep it together. A chariot would normally have three people in it, one driving and the other two would be using a long sword to attack the opposing enemies. Or two people both driving and using their other hand to attack, but this would be risky since you would have less control of the horse.

The Shang dynasty didn’t just make warfare items, using their knowledge they also made household items and other medicine to cure illness and stress. They invented the teapot which we still use today, it was made from bronze and could also be used for wine in special occasions. The Chinese would only use small bowled-shaped cups to drink tea and would also put medicine in the tea if they were feeling ill. They also invented acupuncture which was sharp small pin-like objects made from stone, inserted into certain parts of the body to help relieve muscle stress before or after a war. But there biggest and most popular invention was the chopsticks although it was used in the Xia dynasty, the Shang dynasty changed the chopsticks so both sticks would have equal lengths and made it more common to china. It was originally made to dip vegetables into soup and other liquids such as sauces since it was hard to do it with a spoon. Back when the mad king Zhou was alive, he wanted his craftsman to use elephant trunks since it was very luxurious at that time. The Shang dynasty then introduced it to other oriental counties such as Japan and Korea.

Pictures of bronze daggers, jade daggers, axe daggers, chariots, teapots and cups, and acupuncture chopsticks.

Qin Dynasty 221BC – 206BC

Due to the fall of the Shang dynasty, a man named Qín Shǐ Huáng rose up and started the next dynasty named the Qin dynasty (pronounced chin). It was the shortest of all the 83 dynasties, starting at 221BC to 206 BC. But it was one of most important ones for Chinese history and had a cultural impact on the following dynasties. The Qin dynasty was located on the Min River in Sichuan and was the first dynasty to introduce the Emperor of China who was Qín Shǐ Huáng. He always killed anyone who he thought was a threat to the dynasty including his parents and kids. There were many times where people tried to kill him and that was his greatest fear of betrayal. But he would always blame the guards for not being there when is trying to be assassinated. In the end, he was an effective leader, if it wasn’t for him China wouldn’t be the same today, he made a lot of things in is time as emperor, he did good things such as uniting the warring states which was a big war between the dynasties fighting over land. He also did bad things such as killing innocent kids because he thought it would be a treat to his royalty. When Qín Shǐ Huáng died two of his advisors tried rising to the throne which started a war that leaded them both to death, and the qin son died in the war which result to the end of the qin dynasty. Then started the Han dynasty.

Qin Dynasty Historic ITEMS??? Great Wall of China and Terracotta Warriors

The Qin dynasty was also known for there During this dynasty, they started to build the Great wall of china to defend Genghis khan and Mongolia to attack it took 200 years to build and it was longer then the dynasty itself it then was finished by the Qing dynasty. This was also the year China invented the terracotta warriors which was for the afterlife of king Qín Shǐ Huáng so he wouldn’t be alone when he died and so he could send wars when he was dead. The terracotta warriors were originally painted but the paint then dried of and all you can see is the terracotta. Each warrior was unique, there were a different types of warriors such has archers swords men and defenders.