A Brief History of China

By Karson Chuang

Introduction

China, located in Asia, ranks as the third largest country in terms of land area and possesses the second-highest population. It is an ancient country; according to ancient findings from the Neolithic era, China’s culture and government are over 4,000 years old. China is the only remaining civilisation out of the four great ancients, which includes Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient India. China’s history can be divided into several main eras: Paleolithic China, Prehistoric China, Ancient China, Imperial China, and Modern China.

Paleolithic China

China is ancient. It is said that early humans began inhabiting China around 3 million years ago. One of the earliest recorded sites of humanity was Shangchen, located in Xi’an, Shaanxi. It was said to be 1.3 to 2.6 million years old. China has other old sites of humanity, the most notable being the Xianren cave in Jiangxi province. There have been old pottery and rural sites suggesting early agricultural advancements.

Prehistoric China

Chinese culture was said to have originated in the Yellow River Basin, with some ancient civilisations, such as the Yangshao and the Longshan. Prehistoric China was said to have lasted from over 9000 BC to 2100 BC.

The Longshan culture, also known as the Black Pottery culture, was a relatively late Neolithic culture. The name ‘Longshan’ is translated to ‘Dragon Mountain’. It was located near the modern town of Longshan in Zhangqiu, Shandong. The discovery of the Longshan culture was made with the founding of early pottery near the town of Longshan, giving the Longshan nickname the Black Pottery culture. Early pottery wheels were also found to craft and mould pots and jugs.

The Yangshao culture was said to be a Neolithic culture located extensively along the middle region of the Yellow River. It was discovered near the town of Yangshao in western Henan. The Yangshao culture also made pottery. Without pottery wheels, they created jars and painted them with writing using ancient natural techniques and dyes.

Ancient China

Xia Dynasty:

The Xia Dynasty was the first-ever recorded dynasty in Chinese history, starting when Yu the Great ended the everlasting floods of the Yellow River and established kingship in China. The Xia Dynasty was said to have lasted from 2100 BC to 1600 BC when the Shang succeeded it. Yu the Great was the last of the five emperors after Shun, who gave Yu the throne of China. After five more kings, prosperity in China decreased and riots occurred—in the end, the Xia collapsed.

Shang Dynasty:

The Shang Dynasty succeeded the Xia in around 1600 BC and started to build up the young kingdom. Yinxu, the capital of the late Shang dynasty, still stands near modern-day Anyang today. The Shang dynasty was significant as it introduced the earliest forms of Chinese writing, essentially inventing the Chinese writing system. This writing was called the Oracle Bone script, as it was made by engraving it into oracle bones and turtle shells. More than 20,000 oracle bones were found on the borders of the Shang dynasty in the early 20th century, and there were many tombs for royalty in the Shang dynasty, signifying the wealth and power accumulated by royalty during this time. At last, the Shang dynasty fell in 1046 BC and was succeeded by the Zhou.

Zhou dynasty:

The Zhou dynasty succeeded the Shang in 1046 AD and greatly expanded the dynasty. They established the system of the Mandate of Heaven or the Son of Heaven (Tianzi), referring to the ideology that if the leader is good, heaven will bless the lands with greatness and the people will be blessed, but if the leader is bad and evil, heaven will punish the whole kingdom with droughts, floods, and other natural phenomenon and the people are allowed to rebel against the leader. Regardless, the Zhou dynasty expanded greatly but collapsed due to bad governing, leading to the Warring period.

Warring states period:

After the demise of the Zhou dynasty in 256 BC, the Zhou dynasty split into many different states, with each having its own king and army. The many kingdoms fought for power and greatness in the hope of finally uniting the dynasty once again.

Ultimately, the Warring States period was brought to an end by the Qin dynasty under the leadership of King Ying Zheng, who conquered the other states and established the first unified Chinese empire in 221 BC, leading into the era of Imperial China, which will be discussed in a follow-up article.