History of China

The history of China can be traced back to the existence of the Peking Man in Zhoukoudian in 400,000 B.C. Many archaeological evidences show that the Peking man gradually evolved into a settled human being, who formed settlements and evolved into many cultures. The most notable of these cultures is the Zhenpiyan culture that domesticated the pig for the first time in 7600 B.C. The cultures that appeared and evolved after this time period clearly indicate the evolution of civilization, as man quit being a nomad and started forming settlements. The Pengtoushan Culture is credited for the domestication and plantation of rice for the first time in China. Today, this same rice is a very well evolved crop that is the staple food of the whole of South-East Asia. Two rather crude scripts known as the Jiahu script and the Banpo, started evolution in the time period between 6600 B.C. to 5000 B.C. The Cishan culture domesticated dogs and chicken and the Bijia culture domesticated the ox and sheep. One of the most significant contribution to civilization was made by the Longshan culture in the 3000 B.C. when it domesticated the buffalo and used the plow for the first time.

Ancient China, 2852 B.C onwards.....

In the 2852 B.C., the Chinese settlements along the Yellow river were ruled by Fu Xi. He is often considered as the first ruler of China. According to Chinese mythology, he was the developer of writing, fishing and trapping. Fu Xi's successor was Yan Emperor who came to power in 2737 B.C. The Yan Emperor was followed by the Yellow Emperor (real name Huang-di ) in 2697 B.C. The Yellow Emperor was the first emperor of China to wage a battle against the neighboring tribes. He led two battles, the Battle of Banquan and the Battle of Zhuolu. Six more rulers succeeded the Yellow Emperor till 2205 B.C. This era is popularly known as the era of 'Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors'.

The Bronze Age in the History of China

The Xia Dynasty was the first dynasty to rule China. Emperor 'Yu the Great' founded the Xia Dynasty after the downfall of the previous emperors from the era of Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The Xia dynasty consisted of only three emperors. Yu the Great came to power in 2194 B.C. and was succeeded by his son, Qi of Xia, in 2146 B.C. The first emperor of the Xia Dynasty was Tai Kang. Tai Kang drowned in a lake and that brought about the downfall of the Xia Dynasty in 2117 B.C. From the time period between 2100 B.C. to 1400 B.C., China was dominated by the Erlitou culture.

The Shang Dynasty

In the year 1398 B.C., the capital of China was moved from Zhengzhou to Yinxu by Emperor Pan Geng who founded the Shang Dynasty. Pan Geng was followed by Wu Ding who is regarded as one of the most brilliant statesman and military leaders of ancient China. The Shang Dynasty lasted till 1046 B.C. The two most notable rulers of the Shang dynasty were Emperor Di Yi and King Zhou.

The Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was founded in 1122 B.C., and it eventually branched out into Western and Eastern dynasties. It is believed that it was the longest ruling dynasty of China. The Zhou dynasty introduced iron in the Chinese society. The making of bronze ware was officially researched and developed during this dynasty. Two very important schools of thought; Daoism and Confucianism came into being during this dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty ended in 250 B.C and the age of Imperialism began in China.

The Age of Imperialism

The Imperial Age began in China in 361 B.C., when Xiao of Qin founded the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty was a period where many important reformations took place in China. The most important reformation was initiated by Shang Yang who was a statesman in the dynasty. The reformation that he undertook helped the Qin Dynasty to change into a centralized and militarily powerful nation. This period of time is also termed as the 'Warring States Period'. Shang Yang also brought about many more significant administrative changes. These reforms were the main reason that six other kingdoms were successfully integrated into the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Huiwen who came to power in 338 B.C. and earned the wrath of the common man of his kingdom for executing Shang Yang. The reforms of Shang Yang were retained in the administrative system till the end of the dynasty. Another important event that occurred during the rule of the Qin Dynasty was the victory of the Battle of Yique in 293 B.C. The battle was fought by the Qin Dynasty against the states of Wei and Han. The states of Han, Chu, Yan and Zhao were conquered by the Qin Dynasty. In 221 B.C., Qin Shihuang unified all the conquered states and made the first imperial seal of the Chinese Empire.

Two very important events occurred in the history of China after the unification. The first event was that the construction of The Great Wall of China began in 220 B.C. to ward off the Xiongnu attacks. The second important event was that the world's oldest contour canal, the Lingqu canal, was engineered by Shi Lu in 214 B.C.

The Ming Dynasty

The next most significant dynasty that came into force was the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty's rule was one of the most prosperous periods for China. The Ming Dynasty was considered as the most successful dynasties to rule China due to several factors. The Ming Dynasty started the construction of China's uniform army that was segregated according to the tasks of its personnel. The Ming Dynasty also saw the construction of a disciplined navy for the Chinese coasts. The dynasty was successful in setting up a defense force of more than a million personnel. The Ming dynasty also successfully restored the Great Canal of China and the Great Wall. The most valued contribution of Ming Dynasty was the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City of Beijing was the longest standing capital in the history of China.

In the reign of Emperor Hongwu, the concepts of agricultural surplus, self sufficiency of food grains and systems of militarized courier were developed. In the 16th century, the Ming dynasty also started their trade with European powers like Portugal, Spain and Netherlands.

The Last two Dynasties

The Ming Dynasty dissolved in the year 1644 A.D. after several revolutions. The next dynasty to come in power was the Shun Dynasty which had only one ruler, Emperor Li Zicheng, who came to power in 1644 A.D. The Qing dynasty followed the Shun dynasty. The Quin Dynasty was dissolved in 1911 A.D. after the Xinhai Revolution. Many wars like the Sino-Japnese War and the Sino-French War and smaller battles were fought during this time.

The era of monarchy ended in 1912 when China became a republican state and Sun Yat Sen took the position of the head of state. Since this time, China has undergone many significant changes and also has become the most successful communist nation of the modern era. The system of communism has become a very successful form of government in China.

The ancient Chinese inventions have contributed a lot, towards many fields like science, botany, chemistry and astronomy. It has also given the world distinguished and delightful Chinese delicacies. In the international community, this great nation is today considered to be a superpower. The citizens of modern China aim at maintaining its position as a superpower for centuries to come as it has been in the past.