The History of China

TheHistoryofChina•1Prehistory(史前时代)•1.1Paleolithic•1.2Neolithic•2Ancientera(传说时代)•2.1XiaDynasty•2.2ShangDynasty•2.3ZhouDynasty•2.4SpringandAutumnPeriod•2.5WarringStatesPeriod•3Imperialera(帝王时代)•3.1QinDynasty•3.2HanDynasty3.3WeiandJinPeriod3.4SouthernandNorthernDynasties3.6SuiDynasty3.7TangDynasty3.8FiveDynastiesandTenKingdoms3.9Song,Liao,Jin,andWesternXiaDynasties3.10YuanDynasty3.11MingDynasty3.12QingDynasty4Modernera(近，现代时期)4.1RepublicofChina4.21949topresentContentsRemoteAntiquitytoSlaveSociety(1.7millionyearsago-476B.C.)•China,oneoftheworld’smostancientcivilizations,hasarecordedhistoryofnearly4,000years.•AfossilanthropoidunearthedinYuanmouinYunnanProvince,“YuanmouMan,”wholivedapproximately1.7millionyearsago,isChina’searliestprimitivemanknownsofar.YuanmouMansite•“PekingMan,”wholivedintheZhoukoudianareanearBeijing600,000yearsago,wasabletowalkupright,makeandusesimpletools,andknewhowtomakefire.PekingMansitePekingManskulltools(PaleolithicAge)TheNeolithicAgestartedinChinaabout10,000yearsago,andrelicsfromthisperiodcanbefoundalloverthecountry.ArtificiallygrownriceandmilletaswellasfarmingtoolshavebeenfoundintheremainsofHemuduinYuyao,ZhejiangProvince,andBanpo,nearXi’anCity,ShaanxiProvince,respectively.Theserelicsdatebacksome6,000-7,000years.HemuduBanpoXiaDynasty•Chinesecivilizationbeganwiththelegendarysage-emperorsHuangDiandYanDiintheareaoftheYellowRiverBasin•Aftercenturies,thetwotribesgraduallymergedintoonebythetimeoftheXiaDynasty.Chinesepeople,usuallyregardthemselvesas“thedescendantsofYanandHuang”.ChinesegenerallytellthehistoryfromXiaDynasty,whichwasfoundedin2070B.C.WiththeXiaDynasty,ChinaenteredslavesocietyYuDressArtsandcraftsTheShangDynasty(1600B.C.-1046B.C.)•TheShangDynastyenjoyedthemostadvancedbronzecivilizationintheworld•Thedevelopmentofawritingsystemcanbewitnessedontheoraclesliketortoiseshelloranimalbones,andthesewritingswerethebeginningofthewrittenChineselanguage.司母戊鼎四羊方尊甲骨文TheZhouDynasty(1046B.C.-221B.C.)•TheZhouDynastyreignedforthelongestperiodofallChinesedynasties•TheZhouDynastyfellintoseveralsub-periods:theWesternZhou,theEasternZhouwhichwasfurtherdividedintotheSpringandAutumnPeriodandtheWarringStatesPeriod•TheSpringandAutumnandWarringStatesperiodsarefamousfortheculturalprosperitywith“HundredSchoolsofThought”.AllSchoolsofThoughtsContendforAttention•DuringtheSpringandAutumnandtheWarringStatesperiods,therewasagreatupsurgeofintellectualactivity,producingmanyfamousphilosophers,suchasLaoTzu,Confucius,MenciusandMoTzu,andthewell-knownmilitaryscientistSunWu.LaoTzu《道德经》TheBookofTaoandTehConfuciusAnalectsofConfucius•Mencius富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能屈。此之谓大丈夫。︱孟子MoTzuMoTzu尚贤、尚同、兼爱、非攻、节用、节葬SunWu《孙子兵法》，现收藏于故宫博物馆TheArtofWarTheQinDynasty•QinShiHuang(259-210B.C.)andHisEmpireIn221B.C.,YingZheng,ruleroftheStateofQinandamanofgreattalentandboldvision,endedthe250-oddyearsofrivalryamongtheindependentprincipalitiesduringtheWarringStatesPeriod,establishingthefirstcentralized,unified,multi-ethnicfeudalstateinChinesehistory—theQinDynasty(221-207B.C.).HecalledhimselfQinShiHuangor“FirstEmperorofQin”.秦的统一远交近攻合纵连横秦韩楚魏齐燕赵•Hestandardizedthewrittenscript,weightsandmeasures,andcurrencies.Thesovereignsofthenext2,000-oddyearsfollowedthefeudalgovernmentalstructureestablishedbyhim.WrittenScript圆形方孔钱Currencies度衡量WeightsandMeasures•TheQinDynastywaswell-knownforbeginningtheconstructionoftheGreatWallwhichwaslateraugmentedandenhancedduringtheMingDynasty.•QinShiHuanghadworkedonhisenormousmausoleumstartedearlyinhisreign.Theterracottawarriorsofthe“undergroundarmy”guardingthemausoleum,unearthedin1974,amazedtheworld.The8,000vivid,life-sizepotteryfigures,horsesandchariotshavebeencalledthe“eighthwonderoftheworld.”HanDynasty(206B.C.-220A.D.)andtheSilkRoad•LiuBangestablishedthepowerfulHanDynastyin206B.C.DuringtheHanDynasty,agriculture,handicraftsandcommerceflourished,andthepopulationreached50million.LiuBangEmperorWudi•Duringhisreign(140-87B.C.),themostprosperousperiodoftheHanDynasty,LiuChe,EmperorWudi,expandedtheterritoryoftheempirefromtheCentralPlaintotheWesternRegions(present-dayXinjiangandCentralAsia).SilkRoad•HedispatchedZhangQiantwiceashisenvoytotheWesternRegions,andintheprocesspioneeredtherouteknownastheSilkRoadfromChang'an(today'sXi'an,ShaanxiProvince),throughXinjiangandCentralAsia,andontotheeastcoastoftheMediterraneanSea.ChinesesilkgoodsweretradedtotheWestalongtheSilkRoad.AscontactsbetweentheEastandWestincreased,BuddhismspreadtoChinainthefirstcentury.In105,anofficialnamedCaiLuninventedatechniqueformakingfinepaper,whichisconsideredtohavebeenarevolutionincommunicationandlearning.Jin(265-420)•TheThreeKingdomswasfollowedbytheWesternJinwithLuoyangasitscapitalcity,andEasternJinwithJiankang(Nanjing)asitscapitalcity.TheJinDynastydidnotlastlongwithalotofconfrontationsandconflicts.TheUpheavaloftheEightPrincesTangDynasty(618-907)•LiYuanfoundedtheTangDynastywithitscapitalatChang’an.ZhenguanReignPeriodReforms•LiShimin,orEmperorTaizong(626-649),sonofLiYuan,adoptedaseriesofliberalpolicies,pushingtheprosperityofChina’sfeudalsocietytoitspeak.LiShimin•DuringtheTangDynasty,Bu