China-history

ChinahistoryThepresenterYangZhaoyu(professor)ShenyangJianzhuUniversityRemoteAntiquitytoSlaveSociety(1.7millionyearsago-476B.C.)•China,oneoftheworld’smostancientcivilizations,hasarecordedhistoryofnearly4,000years.•AfossilanthropoidunearthedinYuanmouinYunnanProvince,“YuanmouMan,”wholivedapproximately1.7millionyearsago,isChina’searliestprimitivemanknownsofar.YuanmouMansite•“PekingMan,”wholivedintheZhoukoudianareanearBeijing600,000yearsago,wasabletowalkupright,makeandusesimpletools,andknewhowtomakefire.PekingMansitePekingManskulltools(PaleolithicAge)TheNeolithicAgestartedinChinaabout10,000yearsago,andrelicsfromthisperiodcanbefoundalloverthecountry.ArtificiallygrownriceandmilletaswellasfarmingtoolshavebeenfoundintheremainsofHemuduinYuyao,ZhejiangProvince,andBanpo,nearXi’anCity,ShaanxiProvince,respectively.Theserelicsdatebacksome6,000-7,000years.HemuduBanpoXiaDynasty•TheXiaDynastywasfoundedin2070B.C.ThecenterofitsactivitieswasthewesternsectionofmodernHenanProvinceandthesouthernsectionofmodernShanxiProvince,anditssphereofinfluencereachedthenorthernandsouthernareasoftheYellowRiver.WiththeXiaDynasty,ChinaenteredslavesocietyYuDressArtsandcraftsShangandWesternZhou•ThefollowingShang(1600-1046B.C.)andWesternZhou(1046-771B.C.)dynastiessawfurtherdevelopmentofslavesociety.(1600-1046B.C.)司母戊鼎四羊方尊甲骨文•Chinesehadmasteredthetechnologyofsmeltingbronzeapproximately5,000yearsagoandirontoolscameintouseduringtheShangDynasty,3,000yearsago.Whitepotteryandglazedpotterywereproduced.Silkproductionwasconsiderablydevelopedandtheworld’sfirstfiguredinlaidsilkweavingtechniqueappeared.Whitepottery•ThiserawasfollowedbytheSpringandAutumn(770-476B.C.)andWarringStates(475-221B.C.)periods,characterizedbythedeclineinpoweroftherulinghouseandstrugglesforpoweramongregionalpowers,markingthetransitionfromslavesocietytofeudalsociety.SpringandAutumnPeriodWarringStatesperiod匈河奴燕秦水魏长平赵蓟邯郸水济临淄齐咸阳郑周韩大梁水淮江水楚郢•DuringtheSpringandAutumnPeriodsteelproductiontechnologiesmadetheirdebut.•DuringtheSpringandAutumnandtheWarringStatesperiods,therewasagreatupsurgeofintellectualactivity,producingmanyfamousphilosophers,suchasLaoZi,Confucius,MenciusandMoZi,andthewell-knownmilitaryscientistSunWu.百家争鸣LaoZi《道德经》ConfuciusAnalectsofConfucius•孔子拜师故事（孔子与老子图片）•Mencius富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能屈。此之谓大丈夫。︱孟子MoZi《MoZi》SunWu《孙子兵法》，现收藏于故宫博物馆theQinDynasty•QinShiHuang(259-210B.C.)andHisEmpireIn221B.C.,YingZheng,ruleroftheStateofQinandamanofgreattalentandboldvision,endedthe250-oddyearsofrivalryamongtheindependentprincipalitiesduringtheWarringStatesPeriod,establishingthefirstcentralized,unified,multi-ethnicfeudalstateinChinesehistory—theQinDynasty(221-207B.C.).HecalledhimselfQinShiHuangor“FirstEmperorofQin.”秦的统一远交近攻合纵连横秦韩楚魏齐燕赵•Hestandardizedthewrittenscript,weightsandmeasures,andcurrencies,andestablishedthesystemofprefecturesandcounties.Thesovereignsofthenext2,000-oddyearsfollowedthefeudalgovernmentalstructureestablishedbyhim.统一文字统一货币圆形方孔钱度衡量统一度量衡•Hemobilizedmorethan300,000peopleoveraperiodofadozenyearstobuildtheGreatWall,whichstretchesfor5,000kminnorthernChina.•QinShiHuanghadworkonhisenormousmausoleumstartedearlyinhisreign.Theterracottawarriorsofthe“undergroundarmy”guardingthemausoleum,unearthedin1974,amazedtheworld.The8,000vivid,life-sizepotteryfigures,horsesandchariotshavebeencalledthe“eighthwonderoftheworld.”HanDynasty(206B.C.-A.D.220)andtheSilkRoad•LiuBangestablishedthepowerfulHanDynastyin206B.C.DuringtheHanDynasty,agriculture,handicraftsandcommerceflourished,andthepopulationreached50million.LiuBang•Duringhisreign(140-87B.C.),themostprosperousperiodoftheHanDynasty,LiuChe,EmperorWudi,expandedtheterritoryoftheempirefromtheCentralPlaintotheWesternRegions(present-dayXinjiangandCentralAsia).•HedispatchedZhangQiantwiceashisenvoytotheWesternRegions,andintheprocesspioneeredtherouteknownastheSilkRoadfromChang'an(today'sXi'an,ShaanxiProvince),throughXinjiangandCentralAsia,andontotheeastcoastoftheMediterraneanSea.ChinesesilkgoodsweretradedtotheWestalongtheSilkRoad.•AscontactsbetweentheEastandWestincreased,BuddhismspreadtoChinainthefirstcentury.In105,anofficialnamedCaiLuninventedatechniqueformakingfinepaper,whichisconsideredtohavebeenarevolutionincommunicationandlearning.TangDynasty(618-907)•AftertheHanDynastyandtheThreeKingdomsPeriod(220-265),theJinDynasty(265-420),theSouthernandNorthernDynasties(420-589)andtheSuiDynasty(581-618)weresucceededbytheTangDynasty,establishedbyLiYuanin618.•LiShimin,orEmperorTaizong(r.626-649),sonofLiYuan,adoptedaseriesofliberalpolicies,pushingtheprosperityofChina’sfeudalsocietytoitspeak.LiShimin盛世唐朝（贞观之治）“唐宴春”酒•Bythe660s,China’sinfluencehadfirmlytakenrootintheTarimandJunggarbasinsandtheIliRivervalley,andevenextendedtomanycity-statesinCentralAsia.Duringthisperiod,extensiveeconomicandculturalrelationswereestablishedwithmanycountries,includingJapan,Korea,India,PersiaandArabia.唐蕃古道Song,Yuan,MingandQingDynasties(960-1911)•TheperiodoftheFiveDynastiesandTenStates,whichsucceededtheTangDynasty,wasoneofalmostcontinualwarfare.SongDynasty(960-1279)•In960,ZhaoKuangyin,ageneraloftheStateofLaterZ