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Ancient China's impact on the modern world
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The historical importance of the great wall of china essay
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The 21st century has been called “the century of Asia,” and China is leading the way for the emerging Asian powerhouses today. Indeed, the economic clout that China is already wielding in the international marketplace, together with those of Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and others are reshaping the global economy and all signs indicate these trends will continue into the foreseeable future. Although all of the countries of Asia have a rich, proud, lengthy and colorful history, China stands out for one reason in particular: its Great Wall. Despite its antiquity, the Great Wall of China remains a powerful influence on modern Chinese thought and culture, as well as providing a valuable destination of tourists from all over the world who want to experience this defining aspect of China for themselves. Taken together, these issues suggest that the Great Wall of China warrants further analysis to identify these effects and what they mean for the Western world as well as the people of Asia in general and the Chinese people in particular. This paper provides a review of the relevant literature to identify the historical effects of the Great Wall of China, followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.
When most people think of the Great Wall of China, it is largely limited to one of just a few iconic views that are routinely presented to the Western world by the mainstream press. One such view, illustrated in Figure 1, hardly does the Great Wall justice, though, for a number of important reasons that are discussed further below.
Figure 1. Representative iconic view of the Great Wall of China
Source: medievalnews.blogspot.com
This neat and tidy segment of the Great Wall with its ...
... middle of paper ...
...nked the people of China together over the centuries in ways that no other architectural structure, irrespective of size, could accomplish.
Works Cited
“Brief Description of the Great Wall of China.” 2011. UNESCO. [online] available: http:// whc.unesco.org/en/list/438.
“Great Wall of China.” 2011. TravelChina.com. [online] available: http://www.travelchina guide.com/china_great_wall/.
Silverberg, Robert. The Great Wall of China. Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1965.
Squire, Gary. 2007. “What I Learned about Teaching at the Great Wall of China: You Wouldn't Think a Veteran Teacher with More Than Three Decades of Experience Would Need to Reinvent Himself and His Methods, but Half a World Away, Mr. Squire Did Just That.” Phi Delta Kappan 88(7): 530-531.
Worth, Cristopher. 2007, March. ‘China's True Wonder of the World.” World and I 22(3): 37.
The founder of the Qin dynasty was Qin Shi Huangdi, a title meaning “First Emperor.” He was a brutal ruler, but he brought about many changes. However, in addition to all the new, some old ideas were continued from the Zhou, such as the emphasis on the wheat and rice staple foods, and the philosophies, Confucianism and Daoism. The old continuities tended to have been deeply embraced by China, and, just as the Zhou did, the Qin would create some ideas that lasted, and some that did not. Qin Shi Huangdi enforced a tough autocratic rule and, as a result, opposed formal culture that could make people counter his rule. This meant that he burned many books and attacked Confucian ideas in order to keep the people from generating rebellious ideas. When the Qin dynasty fell, so too did the opposition towards education, because it took away from the civilization culturally. Despite the fact that the Qin dynasty was very short and had little time to fully develop its systems and ideas, it did pump out a vast quantity of new and lasting concepts, such as the Great Wall and a central government. One of the biggest contenders for the most well-known feature of the Qin dynasty is the Great Wall. This architectural masterpiece extends over 3,000 miles, and was mainly a
There is a great art that can be found in being able to describe the world of an ancient civilization. Especially in one where large man made walls form because of the creases of a sleeping dragon’s back, or that the layout of the fields and streams of a small village create the image of a galloping unicorn when looked from up above. Yet, this is Imperial China, or as Barry Hughhart writes in his Novel Bridge of Birds, “an Ancient China that Never Was” (Hughhart 1984). This novel explores the history and the world of Ancient China, and the tales of the people who have walked across the land. Offering a summary of the book, we will be able to analyze
...y extraordinarily beautiful, it was also a wealth of information about the people and culture of ancient China during his reign.
Smarr, Janet. “Emperor Wu”. Making of the Modern World 12. Ledden Auditorium, La Jolla, CA. 17 Feb. 2012. Lecture.
The Great Wall of China, one of the world’s eight wonders, is one of the most famous feats of human architecture in the history of the world. This ancient marvel is not only a great spectacle, but is also significant in the shaping and molding of the China everyone knows today. The Great Wall of China allowed China to possess some of the longest lived governmental structures in the world by providing a means of protection against hostile nomadic groups and other warlike peoples. This allowed the lifespans of the dynasties-- lines of hereditary rulers who rule over a country for a long period of time-- inside the wall to be prolonged. This massive structure is therefore a key part of China’s history, influencing nearly every dynasty that ruled the region, since the rise of the first emperor.
Chinese culture has been evolving for more than one thousand years with one of the most significant influences being the development of the Han dynasty. This paper analyses the ways in which the development of the Han dynasty influenced Chinese culture, to what extent, and why. Knowledge of the Han period’s impact on Chinese culture, is obtained through the analysis of written and archaeological sources depicting the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–9 A.D) and Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 A.D).
The Chinese empire had once been one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the world. Before the 19th century, China had a large population and was ruled by families or dynasties. It was considered technologically advanced as China had a history of many miraculous inventions, such as: writing, magnetic compasses, movable sails, porcelain, abacus and paper money. Although China was isolated from the rest of the world, it coped well on its own, and saw no need to begin trading with the west, (as Lord McCartney proposed in 1793), since it was a self-sufficient nation. At that particular time, the Chinese empire was still able to exclude the ‘barbarians’, thus forcing them to only trade at one port. However, China soon took a turn for the worst as important ...
The history of the Great Wall dates back to long before 221BC when people settled in vast China territory. The settlers adopted two main lifestyles; Farming and Nomadic lifestyles. According to O'Neill (18), the farmers planted crops and grains such as wheat, millet and barley. They also kept animals such as sheep and dogs. After the harvest, the farmers stored surplus food in their granaries, enabling them to have food throughout; even when the growing season was over. Due to their farming activities, the farmers were stationed in one place. On the other hand, the nomads travelled the land in search for food for themselves and pasture for their animals. Farmers’ villages became attractive location for the nomads to get food because farmers had stores of grains. As a result, nomads began invading the villages to take food. Invasion by the nomads and other neighbors caused the farmers to group themselves in villages and develop mechanisms of protecting themselves against the...
The Great Wall of China is something that has stood for a culture for over two thousand years! It is a magnificent physical structure and cultural icon that represents an immense undertaking that shows a culture to the world.
...entertainment but exceptional for teaching people about ancient China and the ways of thinking during that time period.
Many sources disagree as to when The Great Wall of China first began. The dates of the original construction vary from 656 BC3 to 214 BC4. This discrepancy is caused by the arguments whether the bordering walls built by the early feudal states are actually part of The Great Wall of China we know today. Th...
Throughout the film ancient China’s profound history and glorious culture has displayed through various cultural elements. The martial arts, writing system, architecture all together gives an image of the Chinese culture. The developments and advanced techniques have shaped the country and stabilized the society. China has accomplished some of the greatest achievements of mankind. It had also made significant contribution to the development of advanced systems around the world. Chinese culture is very unique. All the elements presented in the film have truly strengthened my understanding of the Chinese
Without the Great Wall of China, the Chinese empire would have fallen due to Mongolian attacks, which is true, but there is a great difference between the Great Wall and the Berlin Wall or the mending wall. While the Great Wall was used to defend China, the Berlin Wall was used to oppress the people of east Berlin, and while the Great Wall was a symbol of hope for China, the Berlin Wall was a symbol of communist oppression to the world. The mending wall was not used for protection, nor physical oppression. It was used to mentally oppress the narrator and to damage his rocky relationship with his
Inkenberry, John. “The Rise of China and the Future of the West.” Foreign Affairs. The Council of Foreign Relations. Jan 2008. Web. 9 Mar 2014.
Wei-Wei Zhang. (2004). The Implications of the Rise of China. Foresight, Vol. 6 Iss: 4, P. 223 – 226.