Ancient China
The Chinese civilization is one of the oldest
civilizations on Earth. It is believed to have begun over 4000 years ago.
The ancient Chinese were ruled by dynasties,
a series of rulers from the same family.
The first known dynasty was the Shang Dynasty.
Archeologists have found primitive writing on bones which tells of this
culture, which existed over 3000 years ago. The Shang Dynasty was defeated
by warriors from a new dynasty called the Chou.
The Chou Dynasty ruled China almost a thousand
years. During this time, many local governments were formed throughout
China. They fought constantly among themselves for power to rule certain
parts, or provinces, of the country. The Chou Dynasty
was replaced by the Ch'in Dynasty.
The Ch'in Dynasty broke down many of the local
governments and set up one central government for the entire country. The
Ch'in Dynasty was ruled by Shin Huang Ti, the first great Cinese dictator.
He is famous for building the Great Wall of China, which still
stands today. The Ch'in Dynasty was replaced by the Han
Dynasty.
The Han Dynasty controlled China
for 400 years. During this time, Chinese culture developed rapidly. Art and
sciences were valued and education was encouraged.
After the Han Dynasty, China broke into many different warring states. This
lasted for over 400 years.
Life in these ancient dynasties
was different for each class of people. The Emperor lived in the capital
city in splendid style. His home was a palace of many
rooms, filled with gardens and courtyards.
The people were separated into
groups, such as merchants, who sold or traded goods; artisans, who made tools
and ornaments; and soldiers.
The peasants made up the largest
group of people. They produced the food for the country. Their lives were
simple and often very hard. Most peasants lived in
tiny, bare houses.
The ancient Chinese produced beautiful
works of art. Ornaments and statues were often made of jade. Jade was called
"the stone of heaven." The green stone was a symbol
of wealth and power.
Painting became a popular art form
during the Han Dynasty. Artists painted on wood, silk and paper.
Chinese musicians played instruments
similar to our harp, flute and cymbals.
The ancient Chinese developed one
of the earliest forms of writing. They first wrote on bones or bamboo. Later
they made paper which was used to make books. The Chinese
made the first dictionary over 2000 years ago!
