Ancient Chinese Dynasties

Huangdi was known as the Yellow Emperor in honor of his contributions to agriculture. Thus, yellow became the imperial color. Legends claim all Chinese surname originated from his sons. He sent his sons out to different parts of China to establish settlements, each taking on a surname based on the geographic location they ruled. All the noble families of the first three dynasties of China, Xia, Shang, and Zhou (Chou) were direct descendants of Huangdi.

黃帝 (Huangdi) The Yellow Emperor

His historian Chān Gjié created the first Chinese characters.

Huangdi -- first ruler of China -- developed the basis of civilization, such as domesticating animals and spoken language.

His wife Lou Zǔ taught the Chinese how to weave silk from silkworm cocoons.

Yellow River Yellow River second-longest river in China -- 3,395 miles.

Yellow River is extremely prone to flooding. It has flooded over 1,500 times in the last 3,5000 years -- largely due to the elevated river bed in its lower course.

Yellow River gets its name from the muddiness of its water, which is a constant yellow color.

Sediment carried by the river is deposited in large amounts at the bottom of the river.

The sediment also created very fertile land. Much of the rice harvested in China is grown along the bank of the Yellow River.

The Yellow River’s basin became the birthplace of the Chinese civilization.

Xia Dynasty2100 B.C. - 1700 B.C .

China's first dynasty began in 2,070 BC.

Shang Dynasty1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.

The most advanced bronze-working civilization in the world.

Zhou (Chou) Dynasty 1027B.C. - 221 B.C.

Philosophers of this period first proclaimed the principle of the “Mandate of Heaven," the idea that the ruler (the "son of

heaven") governed by divine right but his dethronement would mean that he had lost his mandate.

Agriculture in Zhou Dynasty was very intensive and in many cases directed by the government. All farm lands were owned by nobles, who then gave

their land to their serfs, similar to European feudalism. Well-Field System was established. A piece of land was divided into nine squares in the shape of the character jing (井 ), with the grain from the middle square

taken by the government and that of surrounding squares kept by individual farmers.

Spring and Autumn Period 770 B.C. -476 B.C.

*776 BC-Olympic games started in GreeceIn the year 551 B.C., the famous thinker and educator of ancient China, Confucius, was born. He had been seeking to have his service accepted by different states. To his disappointment, no one appreciated his ideas. So he devoted his energy to education.

Confucius’ Five Principal Relationships-(1) ruler and subject; (2) father and son; (3) elder brother and younger brother; (4) husband and wife; and (5) friend and friend. "To know your faults and be able to change is the greatest virtue." "What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others."

Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese military general and strategist is said to have written The Art of War at this time.

“If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss. ““All warfare is based on deception. “

Qin Dynasty221B.C.-207 B.C.

When Qin Shi Huang Di, the FIRST EMPEROR of China,(chin sure-hwang-dee) united China in 221 BC, he felt that his achievements had surpassed those of all the rulers who have gone before him. So he combined the ancient titles of Huang and Di to create a new title, Huangdi , translated as Emperor.

He relied heavily on strict laws To silence criticism of imperial rule, he banished or put to death many Confucian scholars and burned their books.

Qin Shi Huang Di standardized Chinese characters, as well as weights and measures.

Began the building of the Great Wall of China. To fend off nomad invasion, the walls built by various Warring States were connected to make a 3,107 mile-long Great Wall. The Great Wall is actually four great walls that rebuilt or extended over the years

The terracotta army depicts Qin’s army and was buried with him to protect him in the afterlife.The terra cotta army was discovered by accident in 1974 at Xian, when local farmers accidentally broke into a pit containing 6,000 life-size terracotta figures. Altogether over 7,000 terra cotta soldiers, horses, chariots, and weapons have been unearthed. It is believed that an army of more than 8,000 terra cotta soldiers were buried fifteen to twenty feet beneath the earth not far from the tomb where Emperor Qin is believed to be buried .

Terracotta Army

After a short civil war, Liu Bang seized power and a new dynasty called Han emerged.The Han rulers change some of the harsher laws of the previous dynasty. Technological advances also marked this period with two inventions, paper and porcelain. The Han Empire collapsed due to corruption in 220 A.D.

Han Dynasty206 B.C. -220 A.D.