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Summary

Chinese History

Note BCE means Before the Current Era or Before the Chrisitan Era.

China is a major site of Homo Erectus fossils. Peking Man used caves near Beijing 460,000 to 230,000 years ago. The reduction of the size of their teeth suggests that the people of South China were the first human beings to eat cooked food, perhaps 10,000 BCE. The transition to farming occurred about 7000 BCE, somewhat later than in the Middle East. Rice, millet, soybean, yam, taro and pigs were the early farmers' main diet.

According to legend the first kingdoms of China were in the Xia (Hsia) Era 3000 BCE, but Western Science does not universally recognize the Xia Era due to a lack of preservation of artefacts.

The Shang Era is the first urban and well-documented period of Chinese History; it began about 1600 BCE. The Shang Era was replaced by the Chou Dynasty in 1027 BCE. The Dynasty of Chou Kings lasted until 771 BCE at which time the Royal Domains were ruled by Nobles and Princes similar to the Feudal System of the European Middle Ages.

From 403 BCE to 221 BCE the Chou provinces, now consisting of 6 Kingdoms, began warring amongst one another until Shih Huang-ti united the 6 Kingdoms and declared himself First Emperor of China, beginning the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty. The Emperor's Tomb just outside his capitol of Xian is the source of the Famous Terracotta statues forgotten and found 2000 years after his death.

The Qin Dynasty was a period of both terror and unity. Intellectuals were killed, books burned and yet the land was united under a common law and common writing that is still used today in Taiwan. Qin also began what would become the Great Wall of China, often using Brick and Mud to form the rough structure. The Qin Dynasty was thus very short-lived and in 202 BC the Han Dynasty replaced it, moving their capitol to Chang-an.

The Han Dynasty lasted, give or take a war or two, until 220 CE when the Empire was split again under 3 Kingdoms and in 304 CE China is invaded by the Xiung-nu (Hsiung-nu) or Huns (a nomadic people). The nation was finally reunited 589 CE under the Sia Dynasty and finally the Tang (T'ang) in 624 CE.

Under the Tang Dynasty, Chinese power was at its greatest and many astronomical and mathematical discoveries were made including the most accurate calculation of pi until the 20th century. The Tang Dynasty extended into Viet Nam and Laos in the south and as far west as Afghanistan.

The Tang Dynasty ended in 907 CE and China again suffered invasion in from Mongolia in the form of the Khitan Kings, establishing a Liao Dynasty with its capitol at Beijing (meaning North Capitol) in 947 CE. Meanwhile in 979 CE the Sung Dynasty establishes Nanjing (South Capitol) as it's capitol and reunites much of the Chinese land under two protectorates in the North and South. In 1126 CE The Chin set up a state in Northern China leaving just the Southern Empire to the Sung.

In 1206 CE Genghis Khan begins his conquest of Asia by first conquering the Chin (Northern Sung) Empire in 1234 CE and then the Sung Empire in 1279 CE. In 1264, the Yuan (Yan) Dynasty is founded by the Mongol Conquerers. This is the period when Marco Polo visited China.

In 1368 CE China returned to Han rule under the Ming Dynasty. This era began rebuilding the great wall using brick and stone as well as sent out much exploration of the world, including perhaps rediscovering Australia, South America and Circumnavigating the Globe hundreds of years before Cook, Columbus and Magellan.

In 1644 CE the Ming Dynasty fell to the Manchus and the Ching Dynasty with which most Europeans are familiar was established. The Man people (also known as Manchurians or Mandarins) are a people from the Northeastern corner of China -- near the Korean border. This was known as the Ching (Ch'ing) Dynasty.

This lasted until the revolution in 1911 by Sun Yet-Sen and later by Mao Tse-Tung and Chang Kai-Shek. In the 20th Century, China has suffered 2 terrible wars with Japan and a civil war that ended up tearing the country in two. In the later war with Japan, as many as 12 Million Chinese people, many of them innocent civilians, women and children, we killed by the conquering Japanese armies, most notably in the period known as the Rape of Nanjing. Mao reformed the Chinese written Language yet again, simplifying the many ideograms. Yet the totalitarian rules of both Chang and Mao as well as Chang’s plundering of Chinese wealth and Mao’s terrible Cultural Revolution in which like Emperor Qin before him he tried to kill the intellectuals both lead to much grief for the Chinese people in the 20th century.

For the CIA's information on China and other countries, click here.