Brief History of China
Early Societies and the Role
of the Emperor (1)
• Oldest pottery in China
from the Yangshao
period ( 5000 to
3000BC).
• Evidence of
agriculture, animal
domestication, firing of
pottery and growing of
silk woms for textiles.
• Oracle bones from the
Shang Dynasty (600-
1050BC).
Early Societies and the
Role of the Emperor (2)
• Dynastic tradition:
relationship between heaven
and earth.
• Emperor: ‘Son of Heaven’
• Ruling on earth was a
‘Mandate of Heaven’
• Natural disasters etc. viewed
as evidence of decline of he
dynasty and proof of evil
actions by the emperor.
Early Societies and the Role
of the Emperor (3)
• Dynastic rule was cyclical
• Earliest recordings of dynastic
rule begin with the Shang and
Zhou dynasties.
• Much of what we know about the
early emperors is based around
legends.
Qin Dynasty (221-206BC)
• A unified Imperial Chin begins
with Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.
• Established the dynastic cycle of
emperors.
• Standardized
money, measurements, legal
rights, writing and even began
what would later become the
Great Wall.
Han Dynasties (206BC-
22AD)
• Golden age of Chinese history.
• Emperor Gaodi founded the Han
Dynasty.
• Han Wudi took control in 141BC
and made efforts to expand the
Chinese empire.
• Time when paper paper was
invented and first Chinese
dictionary produced.
Tang dynasty (618-907)
• Borders of Chinese empire
expanded from Tibet into
Siberia and from eastern Korea
down to preset day Vietnam.
• A time famed four its poetry.
• Further trade routes across the
Silk Road into India, South East
Asia, and the Middle East.
Song dynasties (960-1279)
• Economic development paved
the way for the emergence of a
middle class.
• Increasing interest in the
writings of Confucius.
• Early 13th century the Mongols
invaded northern China and in
1279 overtook the Song
dynasty.
Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
• First non-Han Chinese
Dynasty.
• Yuan dynasty established due
to efforts of Genghis Khan, his
grandson Kublai Lhan was
sent to conquer China.
• Trade increased between
Mongolia, China and Europe.
• Marco Polo spends some time
in China.
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
• Regarded as a period of
stability, unity and peace.
• Time when some of the greatest
tales and texts to come out of china
were written.
• Yong Le moved the capital from
Nanjing to Beijing where Forbidden
Palace was established.
• Portuguese landed in Macao
Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
• During Qing dynasty population doubled
in 50 years.
• Emperor Kangxi was responsible for
compiling dictionary of 40,000 characters
and the most comprehensive encyclopedia
of China.
• Emperor Qianlong expanded China to its
largest extent: more than 4 million square
miles.
• A lot of changes at the end of the 19th
century. Sun Yat-Sen was inaugurated on
January 1, 1912 as the first president of
the Chinese Republic.
Early Days of the Republic
• Two political parties emerged: the
Nationalist party (Kuomintang) and the
Communist Party.
• 1926, Nationalists pushed Communists
out of the joint part they formed.
• Communists fled rom Shanghai to
Nanjing.
• 1931 Japanese invaded China and
occupied Nanjing – extremely violent
event.
• 1926-1934 Communists led by Mao
Zedong began their journey and created
an independent communist state in 1935.
Communist Rule and the People’s
Republic of China
• 1949 Mao Zedong founded People’s
Republic of China.
• Land reforms in the 1950s.
• 1958 launched the Great Leap
Forward
• Cultural Revolution
• Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms
• 1989 Tiananmen square event.
China has come a long way…
• China established itself as a major economic
and technological presence in the world
• 2001: China admitted to the WTO
• 2008: Beijing hosted the Olympics
• Population suffers an ever widening gap
between rich and poor.
