Communications in Ancient China (economy in Ancient China)

Economy

-Research shows that agriculture starts in China between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago. The industry of
agriculture then became one of the sources of income of the government when the dynasties started
taxing them.

- They used ‘Bei’ or cowrie shells as China’s currency from Shang Dynasty through the Zhou Dynasty.

-The concept of taxation began in Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) which the government used to fund their
projects. The state revenue heavily depends on the tax on agriculture and Land Tax. There are also state
monopolies which also became one of the significant sources of revenue for the Government.

-The agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce developed rapidly during the Han Dynasty because of the
Silk Road trade.

- The Silk Road trade provided opportunities like developing resources and opening up new markets for
the export of China’s most valuable resources.

-The Great Canal was one of the achievements of the Grand Canal. This canal helps greatly in commerce
of China.

-During the Song Dynasty, it is the period of prosperity and technological advances for China. Handicraft
industry as well as the foreign and domestic trade of the country prospered. Merchants and travelers
came from abroad.

-During the Yuan Dynasty, trade and technological advancement of China continued under Mongol rule.
Also, Marco Polo from Venice explored China and later talk about China’s culture and marvels in his
book.

History of China before Globalization

Ancient China

- It started with the Shang and Zhou Era.

- The first language of China is called the Old Chinese or Archaic Chinese. Their language is under
the Sino-Tibetan Language family alongside other 400 languages like Burmese and Tibetan.
- Recent findings show that the origin of the language family starts around 7,200 years ago which
is believed to be originated from the north Chinese Millet Farmers. (Sagart, L.; Jacques, G.; Lai,
Y.; Ryder, R. J.; Thouzeau, V.; Greenhill, S. J.; List, J.-M., 2019)

Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC)

- The first written texts appeared during Shang Dynasty which is also the first Dynasty to have
historical records remaining.
 - The earliest form of Chinese writing was found on oracle bones. There are inscriptions on
animal bones which show pictographic characters. There are also inscriptions found on different
bronze artifacts.
- Due to massive changes in language and script over time, the written form of old Chinese was
different from the language scripts that is created over time. Due to this, no one exactly has the
knowledge about how the Old Chinese sounded in speech.

The Zhou Dynasty (1045-221 BC)

- Major philosophies and religions have started during the Zhou Dynasty which becomes the basis
of Chinese beliefs in the next eras, such as Confucianism and Daoism.
- Confucius is one the most influential people during the Zhou Dynasty. He started teaching
during his late thirties about knowledge, benevolence, virtue, and loyalty. His teachings became
the main guiding principle of China which became the substance of learning, source of values,
and social code.

The Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC)

- The beginning of the Chinese Empire was during the Qin and Han Dynasty.
- Qin Shi Huang which is the first Chinese to use the title of Emperor standardized the units of
weight and measurements, as well as the writing system and standardization of the system of
currency.
- The system of coinage was also introduced in this era for the use the whole Empire.

The Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)

- The Han Dynasty was known for their trade through the Silk Road which connects China to
Central Asia and Europe.

The Tang Dynasty (618-907)

- The Tang Dynasty became the golden age for the culture of China. It promoted the practice in
pottery, woodblock printing, and painting.

Isolation of China from the World

- During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), current emperors of China attempted to isolate the
country from foreign influences in order to focus on local development.
- They started isolating themselves because they are afraid of foreign influences which
undermines their values and society.
- They also stopped exploring because of huge expenses from voyages of Zheng He as it is not for
trade but for searching treasure.
- China also stopped in trading with other countries because they did not need any resources
from the world as their own technology and was advanced enough for their needs.
- They also stopped in trading because of in the mid-1500s, trades started using silver as currency.
This caused a huge inflow of silver which caused inflation which hurts the economy of China.
China Open its Doors Again

- The isolation hurts China’s economy later because of lesser trade.

- The United States formulate the Open-Door policy to China in order to stop the European and
Japanese monopoly of Chinese trade and markets. It provides protection for equal privileges for
all countries that trades with China.
- It is a new announced policy by Deng Xiaoping in December 1978 to open the opportunities for
the foreign countries who wanted to set up their business in China.
- This has become the turning point of China’s economic fortune.
References:

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/china-history.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization_in_China

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/confucius

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-tcc-worldciv2/chapter/ming-dynasty-exploration-to-isolation/

http://chinesecoins.lyq.dk/Bei/Bei.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_premodern_China

https://www.coolaboo.com/world-history/ancient-china/ancient-china-language/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-019-0282-1#:~:text=Originating%20between
%2010%2C000%20and%208000,Holdren%20and%20Ehrlich%2C%201974).

https://www.shh.mpg.de/1285923/sino-tibetan-origin

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Grand-Canal-China

https://www.britannica.com/event/Open-Door-policy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Door_Policy

https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-were-the-effects-of-isolationism/