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China's primitive society, starting from Yuanmou Man, who lived about 1.7 million years ago, to the establishment of Xia Dynasty in 21 century BC. The primitive society has experienced two periods of primitive tribe and gentile community. And the gentile community has also experienced two stages of matriarchal clan commune and patrilineal clan commune.
Yuanmou Man is known as China's earliest discovered hominid. Perking Man has the basic characteristics of Homo Sapinens. Caveman has lived a clan lives. The prosperous time of the matriarchal clan commune is the clans of Hemudu and Banpo, which separately lived around Yangtze valley and Yellow valley. The late Dawenkou culture reflects something about the Patrilineal clan commune.
t is said that Yellow Emperor was the leader of primitive tribe, who lived in Yellow valley about 4, ooo years ago. In order to make the tribe union become stronger and stronger, He advocated planting crops, domesticating livestock. Once, He led the tribe to defeat the south Chiyou tribe and Yandi tribe in upper reaches of Yellow river. Later, the two tribes made an alliance to live and multiply in Yellow valley, which constitute the backbone of Huaxia. And emperor was respected as the ancestor of Huaxia. That is why Chinese nation is called Chinese people now.
After Yellow Emperor, there were outstanding tribe leaders of Yao, Shun and Yu. At that time, leaders were elected. When Yao was old, he convened a tribe meeting to elect the next heir. After his death, Shun was the successor. So, when Shun was old, he used the same way to elect Yu to be the successor. This kind of approach was called demise in history.
China's slave society was from the establishment of Xia Dynasty in 21st century BC to the end of the Spring and Autumn Period in 467 BC.
Xia Dynasty, which was established by Qi -the son of Yu, was the earliest slave society in China history. When it was Jie emperor in 16th century BC, Xia was destroyed by army led by Tang of Shang.
Shang Dynasty, which was from 16th century BC to 11th century BC, was the development period of slave society. In Shang Dynasty, the agriculture and handicraft were more developed, and bronze smelting and casting had a high level. China's text history was from Shang Dynasty. During the rule period of King Zhou, King Wu of Zhou led armies to defeat King Zhou, as a result, Zhou perished.
Western Zhou Dynasty from 11th century to 771 BC was the powerful and prosperous period of slave society. The rulers of Western Zhou Dynasty introduced enfeoffment and well-field system. The reign of King Li caused people riot, so King Li escaped and the regime was controlled by Zhou and Zhao. 771 BC, the Western Zhou Dynasty was destroyed.
The Spring and Autumn Period, which was from 770 BC to 476 BC, was the disintegration period of the slave society. In this period, the royal family of King Zhou declined and the princes vied for supremacy. With the use of ironware and the emergence of cattle plowing, the productivity and private fields were increased, therefore, the well-field system based on the state-owned land was gradually disintegrated and the slavery collapsed. It appeared prosperity in culture during that time.
The time, which was from the Warring States Period in 475 BC to the Eastern Han Dynasty in 220 AD, was the establishment and initial development period of China's feudal society.
In Warring States Period, the new landlord class promoted the reform movement among vassal states, in which the reform of Qin Shang Yang was quite complete and Qin had gradually been the most powerful state among the vassal states. During this time, social economy developed quickly, it made remarkable achievement in science and technology and prosperity in thought.
The Qin Dynasty was the first feudal country which unified multi-ethnic centralization in Chinese history. In order to consolidate the authoritarian centralization, Qin Emperor adopted a series of measures, which had a significant impact on the future. After the reunification, to defense the invasion of Han, on the basis of connecting Qin, Zhao and Yan, extending more to west and east to built city defense, which was famous as the Great Wall. The tyranny of Qin rulers led to the outbreak of Peasant's War and the demise of the Qin Dynasty.
In Chinese history, the Western Han Dynasty was a powerful feudal country. The early Han rulers' “recuperate” policy brought the recovery and development of social economy, emerged the situation of Rule of Wen and Jing. During the rule of Emperor Wu of Han, the national power has reached an unprecedented level. After the pacification of the rebellion of the Seven States, strengthen the central authority and ideological domination. According to Xiongnu War and sending Zhang Qian to Western Region, the multi-ethnic country had a further development. The extension of Silk Road brought the development of economy and culture between China and other countries. In the late Western Han Dynasty, Peasant's War broke out. Finally, this dynasty perished.
In the early East Han Dynasty, emperor Guangwu adjusted the polices, which brought Guangwu Resurgence. However, in the late East Han Dynasty, because of the development of landlord forces and social darkness, finally, Huangjin Big uprising broke out. Under the strike of Peasant uprising, the East Han Dynasty existed in name only.
In Qin and Han Dynasties, the country unified, the production developed, inter-ethnic political economy strengthed and the science and culture had a rapid development. The period from 220 AD of Wei to 589 AD of the reunification of Sui was a period of national division and national integration. In 220AD, the Wei was established and Chobit was the emperor. Shu was established by Liu Bei in 221AD, and then Wu was established by Sunquan in 222AD, which formed war single world. This is the period of three kingdoms. During this time, each country's economy had developed rapidly. In the later three Kingdoms, Wei became stronger and stronger increasingly. In the year 263, Shu was extinguished by Wei, but in 265, Sima Yan got the regime and established Jin Dynasty, which was known as Western Jin. It was just a short time for the unification of Western Jin, because the conflicts between class and ethnic groups. Finally, the Western Jin demised, duo to the uprising and resistance brought by the migrated ethnic groups and displaced persons.
After the demise of the Western Jin Dynasty, Sima Rui established regime in the south, known as Eastern Jin Dynasty. Rulers of all the ethnic groups in the north have established many countries one after another, known as the 16 Kingdoms. In the year 383, the Eastern Jin won in the battle of Fei River, later on, Former Qin destroyed, forming confrontation of North and South. In the south, after the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the following dynasties were Song, Qi, Liang and Chen. In the north, there were five dynasties of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Eastern Wei Dynasty, the Western Wei Dynasty, the Northern Qi Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty, known as the Northern Dynasty. In the period of north and south dynasty, Jiangnan developed quickly and the large integration of all the ethnic groups had appeared. The reform of emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei promoted the national integration. In the periods of Three Kingdoms, Jin Dynasty and Northern and Southern Dynasty, due to the integration of all the ethnic groups and the economic development of south and north, science and culture has been further developed and has made achievement in many fields around the world.
The prosperous time of China's feudal society was from the establishment of Sui Dynasty in 581AD to the demise of the Tang Dynasty in 907AD. Based on the national integration and the economic development of south and north, Sui Dynasty unified, and then social order was stabilized, agriculture, handicraft industry and business developed, feudal economy began to show prosperity. The bureaucracy reform and the creation of imperial examination system had great influence on the future development, and the excavation of the Grand Canal played a significant role in economic exchange between north and south.
When the Peasant's uprising flourished in the later Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan raised an army captured Changan and proclaimed to be the emperor of Tang Dynasty in the year 618. In the early Tang Dynasty, the rulers absorbed the reasons why Sui Dynasty destroyed, adjusted policy, so the politics was complete and the economy has a new development.
Tang Dynasty was a powerful multi-ethnic feudal country, all ethnic groups strengthen their link each other, and the economic cultural exchange with Asia countries became frequent. An-Shi Rebellion was a turning point that from strong to weak about Tang Dynasty. After that, the separation appeared, productivity was severely damaged. In the late Tang Dynasty, the serious land annexation led to Peasant's War, and Tang Dynasty collapsed rapidly.
In Sui and Tang Dynasties, China's south and north reunified, territory was vast, economy was flourishing, and Sino-Foreign cultural exchange was frequent, due to the above, people of all the ethnic groups together created a brilliant culture.
The period for the strengthening of national integration in feudal society and the development of feudal economy is from the establishment of Liang Dynasty in 907 to the demise of Yuan Dynasty in 1368.
In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, the south was relatively stable and the economy achieved a further development. In the late of this time, the later Zhou Dynasty became stronger gradually and laid the foundation for the end of the separation. When the Northern Song Dynasty was established, the ruler adopted a series of measures to strengthen the centralization power, and end the split situation in Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, so the economy developed continuously. In the middle Northern Song Dynasty, it appeared several crises, such as financial crisis. To overcome the crisis, Wang Anshi carried out reform. In the end of Northern Song Dynasty, the politics decayed, armies of Jin were down to south, put an end to the rule of Northern Song Dynasty. The reign of Southern Song Dynasty started in the year 1127. The Southern Song Dynasty confronted with Jin, and the economy of south and north had a new development. In Northern Song Dynasty, the main ethnic minorities were Liao, Jin and Xia. With the wars among each ethnic minority, the economic cultural exchanges had strengthened.
Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongolian, unified Mongolian ministries, established Mongolian government, and launched a large-scale war with his descendants. Kublai established Yuan Dynasty and unified the whole country. The unification of Yuan promoted the development of multi-national country.
In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the national economic exchange was frequent, the handicraft, bushiness and city economy was prosperous, at this time, China had strengthened the relationship with the countries of Asia, Europe and Africa, at the same time, science and technology has developed to a high level.
The period, which was from the establishment of Ming Dynasty in 1368 to the Opium War in 1840, was the decline of the feudal system and the consolidation of the multi-ethnic country. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established Ming Dynasty. In the early Ming Dynasty, the government adopted a series of measures to strengthen the central authoritarian. To strengthen the military force, the government built and moved the capital to Beijing. To consolidate the northern border, the government built the Great Wall. To strengthen the relationship with the overseas, the government sent Zhenghe to be west. In the late Ming Dynasty, with the development of commodity economy, capitalist production was budding in some southern parts. At that time, the feudal autocratic rule was decadent, social conflict was increasingly acute, and finally, the Peasant uprising broke out and the Ming Dynasty was overthrown. In 1616, Nurhachi established the regime of Jurchen, Huang Taiji changed Jurchen to Manchuria. In 1636, Huang Taiji proclaimed to be the emperor and replaced Jin with Qing. To strengthen the centralized authoritarian, the ruler not only established Cabinet, 6 ministries, but also set up military of defence. To control people from their thought, literary persecution was risen to suppress intellectuals' anti-Qing thoughts.
In the early Ming and Qing Dynasties, the unified multi-ethnic country has been consolidated. Taiwan was recovered, Taiwan government was set up in Qing Dynasty and the invasion to China's Heilongjiang River by Russia was over. All the struggles safeguarded the national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Qing government crushed Galdan's splitting activities, strengthen the jurisdiction of Tibet and the whole country was consolidated. During this period, there were several scientific work and democratic thinkers, who fought against absolutism. In literary, there were also several excellent novels.
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