The Chinese Civilization

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INTRODUCTION
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early
as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the king Wu
Ding's reign, who was mentioned as the twenty-first Shang king by the same.
The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the
cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at
various cultural centres along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River.
These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the
Shang. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the
world's oldest civilizations and is regarded as one of the cradles of
civilization.[6]
The Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) supplanted the Shang, and introduced the
concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. The central Zhou
government began to weaken due to external and internal pressures in the 8th
century BC, and the country eventually splintered into smaller states during
the Spring and Autumn period. These states became independent and fought
with one another in the following Warring States period. Much of
traditional Chinese culture, literature and philosophy first developed during
those troubled times.
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang conquered the various warring states and created
for himself the title of Huangdi or "emperor" of the Qin, marking the beginning
of imperial China. However, the oppressive government fell soon after his
death, and was supplanted by the longer-lived Han dynasty (206 BC – 220
AD).

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LOCATION & ORIGIN

We will refer to Ancient China as the time between the Neolithic period (ca.
6,000‒ ca. 1750 B.C.E.) and the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.‒220 C.E.), which is
roughly equivalent to the period of the Roman Empire in the West. This is the
formative stage of Chinese civilization. During this time, what we now call
China developed from a collection of isolated cultural communities to a set of
organized states which eventually coalesced around the idea of a single
unified state, and then expanded to include contact with other civilizations.

China Ranges From Plateaus & Mountains in the west to lower land in the east.
The Vast Country is bordered by The Pacific Ocean In the east, The Himalayas in the
south, broad deserts & mountains in the West & the Great Wall Of China in the
North.
In the Central East are the Deltas of China’s Two Major Rivers, Huang He &
Yangtze In The Central.
Huang He Valley (or in English, Yellow River Valley) was the birthplace of
ancient Chinese civilization, and for that reason is often called “Mother River.”
The valley surrounds the principal river of northern China and is at the centre
of thousands of years of Chinese history. The river is also called “Sorrow Of
China” because it ofen changed its course after the floods & caused
destruction of crops & Canals dug for irrigation greatly affecting the people
living at it’s bank.

Fertile Soil, Temperate Climate & Natural Waterways connecting various parts
of this huge country provided ideal condition for the growth of this brilliant
civilization.

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ARCHITECTURE
Great Heights were achieved by the Chinese in the field of architecture.
Certain materials and techniques, such as pounded earth foundations, timber
framing, and use of bricks and tiles were present throughout the country.
The basic principles of Chinese house design was orientation, layout and symmetry.
Chinese domestic architecture is the practice of making houses facing South. The
inside walls with decorated with beautiful paintings. There were no windows on the
outside walls and usually the only opening to the outside is through the front gate.

The Concept of Feng shui which means wind and water was developed by Chinese
people.
It dictated the kinds of materials used in buildings combined with the location of the
building. They believed the proper building materials were thought to redirect
beneficial energy for the inhabitants.

Walls had an important place in the Chinese architecture. Walls were built around
temples, palaces private houses and villages. The Chinese houses were made of
timber. They had thatched and sloping roof, each house had a courtyard of
rectangular shape.
The Chinese built stupa type temples called the Pagodas.

The Best specimen of Chinese architecture is the Great Wall of China and is among 7
wonders of the world.
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China built
rebuilt and maintained between the 5th century BC and finished by the MING
Dynasty in the 16th century
The purpose of the wall was to protect the northern borders of the Chinese empire
during the rule of successive dynasties. The most famous is the wall built between
220 BC and 200 BC by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.
8500 kilometres off the wall along with 2500 kilometres of natural barrier such as
hills and rivers protected China from invasion of the TARTARS.

This wall has 10 thousand towers across the length of the walls at an interval of
about hundred metres and about 15 metres high. Soldiers were stationed in each
towers to protect their boundaries.

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OCCUPATION
Agriculture, silk making, pottery, metal craft and wood work were their main
occupations.
The Chinese domesticated and reared horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs and
poultry.
They had trade relations with Egypt Mesopotamia Iran and India.
The main item of export included Silk Tea Paper & chinaware etc.
Compass, gunpowder and paper making were some important Chinese
inventions. Gunpowder wasn’t use in warfare but only for fire works .
Wood blocks were used in printing.

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AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATION
The chief occupation of the Chinese was agriculture. They grew rice, wheat, Millet,
barley and soya bean in abundance.
Agricultural sites dating back 6000 to 7000 years indicates use of spade like farm
tools made of stone or bone.
Historians have found sites indicating rice cultivation in great abundance as piles of
rice grains, husks, stalks and leaves have been found there.
The Chinese were first to cultivate tea. At first tea was cultivated for medicine
purposes and later as a popular drink.
A vast irrigation system ensured surplus production of food grains. This promoted
the growth an advancement of the civilization.

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SERICULTURE OCCUPATION
China was the first country in the world to raise silkworms and make silk. Jade
effigies of silkworms as well as silk fabrics pasted on the surface of bronzes
have been unearthed. The great varieties of silk products, including thin tough
silk, figured woven silk, different types of gauze, brocade and embroidered silk
which itself came in more than a dozen types, the complicated ways of
weaving and bright colors.
Silk Road A Trade routes across Asia to the Mediterranean (access to
Europe) in the west. 1. The route stretched 4,000 miles from China to
Southwest Asia. B. Chinese silks were sold in the marketplaces of the ancient
Roman Empire.

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DOMESTICATION OCCUPATION
Chinese domesticated horses, cattle, sheep, dogs and poultry.
They used horses and horse drawn carts as means of transport.
Dogs were the first animals to be domesticated in ancient China After millet
domestication both pig and dog helped build the Yangshao culture,
one of northern China's most important early civilizations.

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RELIGION
The Chinese religion consisted of ancestor worship and worship of the
powers of nature. This continued even after the spread of Buddhism and
Taoism.
They believed in one Supreme God. The oracles and the astrologers enjoyed
great prestige in society.

Taoism
Tao Means Way Or The Path started by Lao-Tsu who lived a little before
Confucius about 600BC.

Confucianism
Confucius Was The Greatest Philosopher of China.
This taught that people must accept their place in society if society is to be
harmonious. However, social relationships should be reciprocal. Thus, while a
son should obey his father, the father should act considerately towards the
son.
His social philosophy was based primarily on the principle of "ren" or "loving
others" while exercising self-discipline.
He believed that ren could be put into action using the Golden Rule, "What
you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.

Buddhism
Gautam Buddha taught The 4 noble truths:
Firstly, There is suffering, Secondly The suffering has a cause. Thirdly the suffering
has an end.
& Fourthly there is a path that leads to the end of suffering

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CONTRIBUTION OF CHINESE CIVILIZATION
Despite its being one of the four greatest ancient civilizations, the Chinese
civilization had a slower progress than any other. The Chinese civilization has
made countless contributions to the world, including the invention of compass,
paper, gunpowder, silk, noodle, porcelain, and paper money and other things
that are a part of our lives today. There were also many great works of
architecture, such as, the Great Wall.
The Chinese is the only of the four greatest ancient civilizations that managed
to survive throughout the five thousand years of its history and one of a few
ancient civilizations that have lasted into modern times. The Chinese
civilizations is normally divided in four characteristic periods (Pre-history and
Shang, Han Empire, Qing [Manchu] Empire 1644- 1912 and Modern age).
Due to their extensive record keeping little mystery is left to us, much unlike
the Egyptians and Babylonians. The influence of Chinese civilization also
spread to most its neighboring regions predominantly Japan, Korea, Mongolia
and Vietnam. The present-day China culture is still marked by this continual
evolution but now China is part of the globalized human civilization.

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DECLINE OF THE CHINESE CIVILIZATION
After Emperor Wu of the HAN Dynasty, the empire slipped into gradual
stagnation and decline when it broke up into several successor states.
Economically, the state treasury was strained by excessive campaigns and
projects, while land acquisitions by elite families gradually drained the tax
base.
Various consort clans exerted increasing control over strings of incompetent
emperors and eventually the dynasty was briefly interrupted by the usurpation
of Wang Mang.
The instability of power brought about chaos, uprisings, and loss of territories.
This was compounded by mass flooding of the Yellow River; silt build-up
caused it to split into two channels and displaced large numbers of farmers.
By the 2nd century, the empire declined amidst land acquisitions, invasions,
and feuding between consort clans and eunuchs. The Yellow Turban
Rebellion broke out in AD 184, ushering in an era of warlords breaking China
to pieces.
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CONCLUSION

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Acknowledgement

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BIBLIOGRAPHY