CHINESE CIVILIZATION

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Chinese Civilization

Chinese civilization, as described in mythology, begins with Pangu, the creator of the
universe, and a succession of legendary sage-emperors and culture heroes.
The Chinese people developed a dynamic and rich civilization at the eastern end of
Eurasia. Chinese viewed themselves as living in “The Middle Kingdom” that is, the center of the
known world, have sometimes seen neighbors and outsiders as "barbarians".

Fossils found in Chinese territory include those of Yuanmou Man, the first Homo erectus,
who lived 1.7 million years ago, Lantian Man, who lived 750,000 years ago, and those of the
Peking Man, who lived at Zhoukoudian in today's suburban Beijing 600,000 years ago. The
fossils of Shu Ape, a primate that lived 45 million years ago, known as "first anthropoid", were
discovered in China in 1994.

Chinese Political History

The Xia dynasty- First prehistoric dynasty, (21st-16th century B.C.). Archaeologists have
uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs. Pottery making and sericulture and silk
where already develop at this time. Yu the Great, the founder of the Xia dynasty, was the
grandson of Zhuanxu, one of the legendary “Five Emperors” who were the first rulers of China.

SHANG DYNASTY (1700-1027 BC) -also called the Yin dynasty, founded by a rebel leader
who overthrew the last Xia ruler, ruled at Yellow valley River. Began to learn to use iron. Its
civilization was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry. Two
important events of the period were the development of a writing system, as revealed in archaic
was found on tortoise shells and flat cattle bones (commonly called oracle bones or), and the use
of bronze metallurgy.

CHOU (ZHOU) DYNASTY (1000-221 BC)-the use of seashells as the first money, Round
metal coins with a hole in the middle were also used as currency by some merchants. The
abundance of wars between nobles caused it to be called a time of "warring states”. the use of
iron tools and beasts of burden to pull plows, and the other was the large-scale harnessing of
rivers and development of water conservancy projects.

CHIN (QIN) DYNASTY (221-202 BC)An ambitious young soldier in the principality of Chin,
Huang Di emerged from mountains in the west and eventually took over China. He standardized
weights and measures, coinage, and writing, and built roads, canals, elaborate palaces and the
Great Wall of China. Ruled with Philosophy of Legalism.

HAN DYNASTY (202 BC-220 AD)-Liu Bang (given a title Han Gaozu) was a strong, capable
peasant, a former bandit turned rebel general founded the Dynasty. They established trade routes
out from Canton and exported silk to as far away as the Roman Empire, the Silk Road. Iron farm
tools such as plowshares, which are triangular in shape, were fixed to the plow to cut open the
soil. Period of weakness for China, when no single dynasty was able to establish its rule over the
whole country

NEXT 400 YEARS (220-580 AD)- Buddhism was introduced in China and people's beliefs
turned toward the promise of earthly and heavenly salvation. And Taoism (a religion which
emphasized living in harmony with nature) and turned away from strict Confucianism. The
creation of a system of martial arts called Kung Fu.

SUI DYNASTY (580-618 AD) - Yang Jian, known as Emperor Wen, established the Sui
Dynasty. To facilitate economic and cultural exchanges between the north and the south, he had
the Grand Canal, which runs more than 2,000 kilometers, dug. This ancient economic artery was
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the world's earliest and longest canal. The Zhaozhou Bridge, which was built, The single-arch
bridge, 50.82 m long and 9.8 m wide, stretches from north to south over a span of 37.37 meters.

TANG DYNASTY (618-907 AD)-Li Shih-Min assumed the throne. He acquired an emperor’s
name, Tang Tsai Tsung. Used of bucket carriage (a water-powered irrigation tool). Implemented
the "equal lands" policy distributing land to peasants.

Yuan Dynasties (1271-1368)- Kublai Khan(grandson of Genghis Khan overpowered the Sung
Dynasty and occupied all of China. Cotton planting and weaving technology were extensively
adopted and improved. Huang Daopo was well known as a female textile specialist of the time.

MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

China ruled the seas under the Ming Emperor YongLe (Yung Lo) who came to power in 1402,
theChinese made 7 voyages to the Great Western Sea (the Indian Ocean).Commanded by
Admiral Zheng He, a Moslem eunuch at the Ming court.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Soft-colored porcelain was created. It was mixed with the paints.
This way, each color could show different shades.

Xinhai Revolution /Chinese Revolution /The Revolution of 1911It led to the Formation of
Republic of China. Witnessed many revolts, and the uprisings and the main turning point of this
movement was the Wuchang Uprising which was actually a result of mishandling of the
Railway Protection Movement. It is seen that the Republic of China in Taiwan and the People’s
Republic of China each consider themselves as the true successors of the Xinhai Revolution.

Beliefs and Philosophy

Confucianism- Confucius the Uncrowned King teachings were not simply

religions doctrines; rather, those were the reflections of the total
personality of a man. Each person must understand his or her
situation and obligations towardothers.
Taoism(500 BC) Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, taught people could learn to
live together by following the ways of Nature.
Buddhism (400 AD) people's beliefs turned toward the promise of earthly and heavenly
salvation. Introduced monasteries and convents, meditation, yoga,
and belief in a cycle of reincarnations until united with Nirvana,
the universal soul.
Legalism (500 BC) by Han Fei Tzu, a belief that the country had to have a lot of power
in the central government to establish strict laws, strict
punishments, and suppress the rebellious. They favored an
authoritarian state which had enough power to maintain unity,
stability and order.

Medicine and Surgery: They knew how to treat fever, diarrhea, weakness and blindness. They
prepared powder from animal bones and used for treatment of various diseases.

The greatest contribution of the Chinese to the world civilization was Anesthesia. They made a
patient senseless and operated in his body. Acupuncture is other forms of treatment discovered
by the Chinese in their long fight against diseases.

Folk Religion: The Chinese also have many popular spirits which they value. The Jade emperor,
princess of colored clowns, the God of the 5th Hell. They pray to these gods for good health,
longevity and happiness. The Chinese worshipped the earth, heaven, sun, moon, stars and other
aspects of nature. The earth god was named as ‘Si’ and the god of crops as ‘Chi’ by the Chinese.
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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

In antiquity, independently of Greek philosophers and other civilizations, ancient Chinese

philosophers made significant advances in science, technology, mathematics, and astronomy.
The first recorded observations of comets, solar eclipses, and supernovae were made in China.
Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and herbal medicine were also practiced.

 Among the earliest inventions were the ABACUS, the "SHADOW CLOCK," and the first
flying machines such as KITES and KONGMING LANTERNS( sky lanterns).
 The four Great Inventions of ancient China: the COMPASS, GUNPOWDER,
PAPERMAKING, and PRINTING, were among the most important technological advances,
only known in Europe by the end of the Middle Ages.
 The Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 906) in particular, was a time of great innovation. A good deal
of exchange occurred between Western and Chinese discoveries up to the Qing Dynasty.

Clocks - The first clock that they devised was for astronomical uses. In the first clock ever, there
was a puppet that would hold up a plaque that would tell the time. They also invented
giant water clocks, which rang every fifteen minutes.

Compass - was for religious use. When a new houses was being built, it is used it to see if the
house was faced in perfect harmony with nature. The compass started out as a wooden
circle with markings on it, and a magnetic spoon on top.

Abacus – instrument that was invented some 3000 years ago primarily in China. It was used in
ancient times in calculating numbers through the basic arithmetic system.

Gunpowder - In the T'ang dynasty gunpowder was accidentally invented in an attempt to make
the elixir of life, to make the emperor immortal, and it was later used in battles.
Cannon - were just bamboo cases holding gunpowder and were put in big iron
cannon. Bamboo or iron basket, which was like a smaller version of the cannon, had
arrows with rockets attached to them. The arrow rockets would shoot out of the
miniature cannon like bullets out of a gun wood.

INVENTIONS:

 Acupuncture ● Rudder
 Alchemy ● Porcelain
 Crossbow ● Seismograph
 Fireworks ● Wheelbarrow (wooden ox)
 Glider ● Harness

PAPERMAKING AND PRINTING

Ancient Chinese were the first to invent paper and printing. Their early script contained
80,000 different characters.

There were 3 different important kinds of paper, the very first being silk rags. The cheap
kinds were no more the wooden strips, and the most expensive was silk cloth. Although most of
the kinds of paper was made from over 50%bamboo, some of the other things they were made of
were silk, cloth, hemp, mulberry bark, and plant fibers.

Steps in making paper:

Bamboo stems were cut down and soaked in water to soften. After that, it was boiled and
pounded to form a pulp. A fine screen was then dipped into the pulp and a thin layer of fibers
would cling to the screen. The paper was then pressed to remove water and then left to dry.
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In the Han dynasty, 206B.C.-A.D.220, paper and ink were invented. In the T'ang dynasty,
618-906, the first printer was invented. In 868 AD the earliest known book ever was printed, the
Diamond Sutra which contains sacred texts of Buddhism. About 1,800 years ago, during the
Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), Cai Lun improved China's papermaking technique using bark
and hemp.

MEDICINE

The discovery of medicine in ancient China started more than 2,000 years ago. In Ancient
China, the Chinese's goal to make medicine was to make an elixir of life to make emperors
immortal and help them live eternally. An elixir of life is a potion that the Chinese believed
would make you live forever. The idea to discover an elixir and the science of medicine was
influenced by Tao Ch'ien, a famous poet and philosopher.

After creating many medicines which were discovered during the rush to make an elixir
of life, Tsou Yen, a pharmacologist, formed a theory on how he thought diseases were caused.
He believed two spirit-like life forces called Yin and Yang flowed through the body. He said that
diseases were thought to be caused when either Yin or Yang were out of balance. After his belief
was spread, many doctors in China tried to make a way to make the Yin and Yang balanced
inside the body. This was when a pretty famous treatment was made, which is still used today.

About a century after the discovery of medicine, acupuncture was invented in China.
Acupuncture is a treatment, which doesn't involve any drugs. Needles are put in certain parts of
the person's body. The Chinese believed that if you put the needles in those specific spots, Yin
and Yang would be balanced. When the forces were balanced, it was believed to relieve your
pain and you wouldn't get any diseases. That treatment was the most commonly used one at the
time.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World
Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, it winds up and down across deserts,
grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 21,196 kilometers or 13,171 miles
from east to west of China. With a history of about 2,700 years, some of the Great Wall sections
are now in ruins or have disappeared.
Around 220 B.C., Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of a unified China under
the Qin Dynasty, ordered that earlier fortifications between states be removed and a
number of existing walls along the northern border be joined into a single system that
would protect China against attacks from the north.

THE TERRACOTTA ARMY

The Terracotta Army refers to the thousands of life-size clay models of soldiers, horses,
and chariots which were deposited around the grand mausoleum of Qin Shi Huangdi, first
emperor of China and founder of the Qin dynasty, located near Lishan in Shaanxi Province,
central China. The purpose of the army was likely to act as guardian figures for the tomb or to
serve their ruler in the next life. The site was discovered in 1974 CE

There were over 7000 warriors, 600 horses, and 100 chariots have given him just that, at
least in name and deed. The site of the mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site even if the
inner tomb itself has yet to be excavated.