While the fertile banks of the Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus rivers were giving rise to thriving civilizations in the Middle East and India, the same was happening along the banks of the Yellow River in China. A civilization arose untouched by the outside world in parallel to those of Mesopotamia, Harappa, and Mohenjo-Daro. The Yellow River civilization not only mirrored the advances made in the other two civilizations but also contributed unique ones of their own.
Due to China’s geographical location - high mountains of the Tibetan Plateau to the west and vast deserts of the Gobi to the north - communication with the West and South Asia was difficult. Nomadic horsemen to the north referred to as “barbarians” began raiding China for products like silk and lacquer-ware as early as Shang times. In the 3rd century B.C, The Qin dynasty built the first stretch of the rammed-earth fortification to protect themselves from the northern nomads. Hundreds of thousands of laborer were drafted to build this wall along the northern border between the Qin lands and the areas controlled by the nomadic Xiongnu. The Xiongnu or more commonly known as the Huns formed the first confederation of nomadic tribes. Other dynasties after the Qin added to the wall, however most of the work can be contributed to the Ming dynasty. The wall today is 1,500 miles long and runs mostly along the southern edge of the Mongolian plain. Guard stations and watchtowers are placed at regular intervals. In reality, the wall did not do much to protect from outside invasion but exists today as one of the most well known Chinese attractions. It is listed in the Wonders of the World among the likes of Machu Picchu and Taj Mahal.
The Chinese writing system is another illus...
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...otamia, and domesticating animals. They created a unique style of art and literature as illustrated by the poetry in the Book of Songs about the Tang Dynasty. Sun Tzu’s Art of War is still read today and referenced by business, military and political leaders. The Great Wall of China, the Chinese script and Confucianism are not the only contributions of the great Chinese civilization. They had also invented the compass, papermaking, printing, gunpowder, silk, bronze, and porcelain among others. Aside from their innovations, China is also known for its distinct imperial dynastic system of government. From the Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang and Song, the Chinese people and culture remained mostly the same. All these elements combined, it is no wonder that East Asia’s growth through history revolved around the Empire of China.
Works Cited
History of World Societies
(Doc. E). The wall was not one big long wall. It stretched three hundred miles to the west and there was a watchtower beyond the wall end. But there were still places that were not protected by the wall. The Xiongnu could just walk around the wall and them come in and invade.
During the Tang and Song dynasty, many excellent achievements have been accomplished which are still being preserved and used widely over centuries. Their citizens were excelled in many fields with several of new and practical inventions which all directly affected the citizens’ lives.
China was without a doubt one of the most innovative countries by reason of their many advances made throughout the Shang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Numerous accomplishments were archived by this empire. Their form of government was based on Dynasties, which are series of rulers from the same family. Different dynasties brought out different successes, such as the famous Great wall, which was a 13,170 miles fortress built around around 206 A.C. by millions of people. This structure was ordered to build by China’s first emperor, Qin, in the interest of protecting the Empire from invaders. Another extraordinary Chinese invention was paper. This universal utensil was created in the 2nd century B.C. by Cai Lun. The creating of this material
The Nile and Indus River Valley civilizations were both unique civilizations in their own way in comparison. Yet despite being separated by thousands of miles there are similarities in these two ancient civilizations. It is seen that amongst ancient civilizations, rivers are fundamental for them to prosper and provide for a relatively stable society for which a people can grow and develop. There are general similarities with pinpoint differences as well as general differences with pinpoint similarities. Both civilizations have left their influence on human civilization and history, with their unique characteristics of their religion, way of life, social classes, cultures, technological advancements, government systems, rulers and notable
China emergence as a civilization is accomplished with little no contact with other empires due to its geographical isolation. This is evident by the lack of new people and languages. The term China during this period does not refer to the same geographical entity as commonly believed. China during this period is approximately one thousand miles north to South and East to West, occupying much of the temperate zone of East Asia. The land to the North is well suited for crops like Grain due to Loess: a fine wind-driven soil that is fertile and easy to toil with primitive tools. The region to the South is warmer, wetter and more suited to rice cultivation and double cropping. China is isolated from other civilizations by mountains, deserts and grasslands. The Bronze Age is marked by the Shang dynasty in their capitol of Anyang. Shang kings ruled for over two centuries. The royal tomb at Anyang was sixty feet deep and three hundred feet long. A tomb this size would have taken thousands of laborers and the advanced technology was evident as t...
Like much of the rest civilization at this time, early Chinese societies developed along a waterway. In China the first civilization developed along the Huang He river, also known as the Yellow River. The Yellow River is characterized by it's unpredictable and devastating flooding, so the question becomes why did these ancient civilizations start to develop along this particular waterway. Were there benefits to settling here? How did development along this river occur and how did it influence the culture of the developing societies.
The article is about the Lewis Model which explains every culture in the word. After Lewis travel around the word, he thought that he could qualify to plot the world's cultures on a chart. He supported that people’s behaviors can be foresee via learning their culture. He plots countries in relation to three categories: Linear-actives, Multi-actives and Reactives. He drew a triangle chart to show the relationship between countries and three categories.
Daily life was influenced in both Ancient India and China because of religion and philosophies. Their well being, their beliefs, and their caste system were affected by religion and philosophies.
Chin Shi Huang, the originator of the wall and who the great country gets its name after probably wouldn’t of ever expected the wall to be a 4,500 mile long masterpiece that would have turned out to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World! The Qin wall was built to keep people out, and to keep people in.
From 1700 to roughly 220 BCE (before the Common Era), the region currently known as China was divided into six states: Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Yan and Zhongshan, each ruled by different kings. These inter-warring states were already familiar with wall building techniques, each having constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. When Shih Huangdi, the young king of the ancient Chinese state of Qin (also spelled Ch’in, from which the word China derives), conquered each of the remaining five states in 221 BCE, the continuous warring finally came to an end. By conquering these states, Shih Huangdi established the Qin Dynasty, thus creating the first unification of China, and the first Chinese central government. In his efforts to make this new concept of centralized rule “stick”, as well as prevent the reemergence of feudal lords, Shih Huangdi ordered the destruction of the wall sections that divided his empire along the forme...
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.
Today we can look around ourselves and see thousands of technical innovations that make life easier; But if we take a step back and ask ourselves “How?” we will soon realize that most often, these technological advancements did not just “poof” into existence, but are usually the outcome of building upon yesterday’s technology. If we follow this cycle back into time, we can attribute almost any modern day invention to an ancient civilization during its golden age. China was no exception. China’s Song and Tang dynasties fostered scientific advances comparable to Rome’s during its Pax Romana. The most significant and impacting of these were the development of primitive gunpowder and porcelain of the Tang and paper money, and the magnetic compass of the Song Dynasties. Although these may seem very far off, if you look hard enough, you can see traces of their impacts in society today because most of the advancements today we owe to them.
The Tang and Song Dynasties are both pertinent to China’s development. During the Tang period, which is also considered the “Golden Age”, art and literature was embraced and thrived. During the Song Dynasties, many technical inventions allowed China to grow as a nation, and emerge as one of the greatest nations in the medieval world. Both dynasties played a key role in the history of China.
Early on we see the emergence of civilization in China, where relatively isolated within geographical barriers, China’s early civilization developed with little contact with other cultures. During the Neolithic period, peoples living in environmentally distinctive zones—the Yellow and Yangzi River Valleys—mastered agriculture, animals became domesticated, the production of ceramics became more elaborate, built fortified towns, and developed better practice relating to the treatment of the dead. Later on during the Shang Dynasty, (ca. 1500–ca. 1050 B.C.E.), China entered the Bronze Age. Shang civilization was urban, its cities encompassing an aristocratic and religious core around which grew industrial and residential districts. Beyond these were farming settlements. The Shang practiced human sacrifice, and human remains compose some of the contents of the rich underground tombs. The Shang period saw the emergence of writing, the distinct logographic system that enabled centuries of cultural continuity.
A significant part of the ancient Chinese civilization was that it shared a common background that is longer than any other ethnic group on Earth. China mostly isolated and unknown to the outside world, was quietly progressing at a rate greater than or equal to other notable civilizations of the prehistoric world. China was composed of several dynasties. The dynastic cycle played a definitive role in the successions of Chinese empires. Each era’s achievements and failures influenced the next. The combined contributions from all the regimes, not only led to the success and progress of China, but defined it as well. Technological discoveries, inventions, creations and its ability to adapt all participate in its maturity. The evolution of ancient Chinese dynasties provided the cultural, economical and governmental structure that developed and shaped their country into one of the marvels of ancient times.