Chinese History

Relatively little is known about the prehistoric era of Chinese history, and the early kingdoms of Xia and Shang are therefore sometimes classed as semi-mythical. Information about these early kingdoms comes mainly from references in later texts and in folklore, although there is a certain amount of archaeological evidence to suggest their existence. Some elements of Chinese culture stem from this era, including forms of ancestor worship and very primative forms of the writing system.

Chinese culture as such can be said to begin from the Warring States and Zhou periods, when many important concepts of politics, philosophy and religion first appeared, including such notable figures as Confucius. The territory involved at this time, while still massive by the standards of contemporary European kingdoms, was considerably smaller than what is currently known as China, and did not include large parts of what is now Northern and Western China, for example Xinjiang, Tibet, Manchuria, Mongolia, and so on. At the beginning of the Warring States era, this territory consisted of several separate states, which were embroiled in constant war and shifting alliances in a similar way to ancient Europe. These kingdoms were, however, considerably larger in area and population than their contemporaries in Europe. The kingdoms fought a war of attrition until only the state of Qin remained, ruling over the entire territory.

The Qin dynasty actually only lasted about 15 years, but it marked the beginning of China as a single political entity. The first Qin emperor standardised everything from the written script to systems of measurement, and everything from the other kingdoms, including books and even the scholars themselves, was burned. The famous Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an are in fact the tomb of this first, all-powerful emperor of China.

The Qin government fell to the Han dynasty, which consolidated both the territory and the system of government. Chinese characters are to this day known as Han characters in Chinese, and ethnic Chinese (92% of the population of modern China) are referred to as Han Chinese. The Han invented many of the basic principles and systems of government that would last until the early 20th century, including the system of examinations and education. The ideas of Confucius were also put into practice by the Han, and many of these principles also came to make up the accepted morality and social order of the next two thousand years, albeit in somewhat altered forms.

After the Han, there was a period of around 300 years as the old dynasty disintegrated and new powers sprang up in various parts of the country, until the Sui once again unified the country. The Sui soon gave way to the Tang dynasty, often referred to as a 'golden age' in Chinese history. Much of the most famous Chinese art, poetry and literature dates from this period, and the country flourished economically as well as culturally. The Chinese word for 'Chinatown', tangrenjie has its origins in this era. Literally translated the word means 'street of the Tang people', further demonstrating the importance of the Tang dynasty in Chinese history.

After less than 300 years the Tang dynasty collapsed, leading to another sustained period of civil war and competing local kingdoms. The Song dynasty eventually emerged as the dominant power, ruling much of the country for three centuries. This period is also celebrated as a cultural high point in Chinese history, and as with the Tang, much of China's literary and cultural heritage stems from this era. Although the Song controlled much of China, they coexisted with the Jin and Liao dynasties for much of their rule, and were eventually overcome by the Mongolian Yuan dynasty.

Chinese people even today refer to the Yuan as if they were a Chinese dynasty, but they were in fact the product of an outright invasion by the Mongolian armies of Genghis Khan and his successors. The invading forces utilised local officials and wealthy landowners to control the population, and while their infamously corrupt and decadent rule lasted less than a century, it had a massive impact upon the nation.

For more on later Chinese history please see the other articles on Chinese history in the Asian Absolute Directory of Useful Information.

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