Chinese History, History of China

Chinese have been living in China for more than 5,000 years. It can be traced back to Xia in 2200 BC and at 1911 AD, Puyi of Qing, who was the last emperor ruling China.

In the past history before World War II, there are seven important dynasties in China history.

Qin (221-207BC) - Chinese State with basic social structure established. Weights and measures, and the Chinese writing system were unified. Chinese defenses were strengthened by creating the Great Wall.

Han (206BC-220AD) - Establishment of state government, military and border. Great influence to its neighbors. The Han Dynasty is often compared to the Roman Empire. It is considered the "Golden Age of Chinese History." Today the Chinese word for Chinese people means "a man of Han." China grew into a powerful empire during the Han Dynasty. Scholars trained in the teachings of Confucius ran the government with great skill. During the Han Dynasty, the Chinese invented paper, writers recorded the history of their land, and the Chinese first learned of Buddhism.

Tang (618-907) - A period of prosperity with blossom of the arts, dance, music, religions and international trade. The largest, wealthiest, and most populous dynasty in the world at that time.

Song (960-1279) - Agriculture and economic expansion. Centralized officer examination.

Yuan (1271-1368) - Mongol reign expanded China into the largest country in the world history. The Yuan encouraged Europeans to travel overland to China. Marco Polo was the most famous of the early Europeans to make the journey.

Ming (1368-1644) - Reunified and built China into a strong maritime nation. Fleet reached far to Middle East and Africa.

Qing (1644-1911) - Reigned by Manchuria and border secured as China has today. Qing was the last imperial dynasty of China. When it was overthrown in 1911, China became a republic.

The first half of 20th century was a period of civil war and foreign invasion. China finally becomes a stable country again only after the formation of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Since then, National Republican supported by America governs Taiwan and Communist China has the Mainland China.

Hong Kong was a British colony until July 1, 1997, Macao was returned from Portuguese back to China on December 20, 1999.

History of China, Chinese History

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History of China, Chinese History

History of China