Chinese Civilization
Chinese Civilization
Ancient China gave birth to what is now the world's oldest culture. The word 'China' is derived from the Sanskrit Cina (derived from the Chinese Qin Dynasty's name, which was interpreted as 'Cin' by the Persians) and appears to have gained popularity as a result of trade along the Silk Road.
Ancient Chinese civilisation spans the time from the early 2nd century BCE, when a literate, city-based culture first formed, through the end of the Han dynasty in 220 CE. By this period, all of Chinese civilisations key foundations had been laid.Ancient China was a pivotal time and place in the history of the planet. Its accomplishments may still be felt strongly in modern China and its global influence.
Origin and the birth of the Chinese civilisation
The Xia Dynasty
(2070 BCE – 1600 BCE) is the first Chinese dynasty to be documented in ancient Chinese history. According to the Grand Historian's Records and the Classic of Rites, Yu the Great, the founder of the Xia dynasty, was the grandson of Zhuanxu, one of China's legendary "Five Emperors."
Yu was successful in preventing disastrous floods and increasing agricultural yields (considering floods often destroyed harvests), and the Xia tribe's influence soared. He was appointed as the commander of the neighbouring tribes, and an army was dispatched to subjugate a tribe that was causing trouble on the kingdom's boundaries. He achieved a significant victory, bolstering his position.
Shun, the last of the "Five Emperors," was starting to age and decided to step down in support of Yu, whom he regarded capable. The Xia dynasty begun with Yu ascending the throne. Instead of passing power to the person regarded best competent of ruling (as had been the norm in the past), Yu gave power to his son shortly before his death, establishing the precedent for dynastic rule.
Yue The Great
Art
Literature
Aside from works on divination and religious rites, writing in Ancient China really took off somewhere in the mid-Zhou era, throughout which Confucius and other intellectuals thrived.
A variety of works from the Zhou and Han times were classified as "Classics," and were considered nearly as holy texts. They embodied Confucian thought's underpinnings and would have a substantial influence on Chinese civilisation.
Poetry
In terms of poetry, the Han period established foundations that would be followed and expanded upon for hundreds of years. Shih, which consisted of short poems written in a compact, austere form, and Fu, which consisted of longer, more ornate verses, were popular. The combination of these two approaches would give Chinese verse a distinct personality, reflecting a shifting blend of Shih's precision and Fu's lyricism.
Paintings
Minimal pieces of art from Ancient China have survived, with the exception of exquisite bronzes from the Shang and early Zhou period. Nonetheless, beautiful tiny clay representations of houses, horses, and people prepared for burial demonstrate that Han artists strived for naturalism as well as vivid movement. Also mentioned in documents from the Han period are vibrant murals gracing the walls of excellent homes.
Four great inventions of the Chinese Civilization
PAPER
The first civilization to invent paper was China. Words were written on numerous environmental materials by primitive people before it was invented, including grass stalks by the Egyptians, earthen plates by the Mesopotamians, tree leaves by the Indians, sheepskin by the Europeans, and, strangest of all, bamboo or wooden strips, tortoise shells, or ox shoulder blades by the early Chinese.
COMPASS
The world's first navigational aid another important contribution from ancient China was the compass, a vital navigating instrument. People came across a natural magnetite that drew iron and pointed north when excavating ores and fusing copper and iron. The round compass was created after years of steady progress.
PRINTING
Tang Dynasty printing A Buddhist sutra is the first book in the world to have a date of printing that can be verified. Before the development of printing, knowledge was disseminated through word - of - mouth or transcribed manuscript copies. Both took a bit of time and were prone to mistakes. Stone-tablet rubbing became popular for distributing Confucian classics and Buddhist sutras 2000 years ago, during the Western Han Dynasty.
GUNPOWDER
Ancient China is credited with the development of gunpowder. In the practice of alchemy, ancient necromancers found that if certain types of ores and fuel were mixed in the appropriate amounts and heated, an explosion could be created, leading to the discovery of gunpowder.
The fall of The Chinese Civilization
Famine struck China during the Tang dynasty's reign in the late ninth century, caused by a bad harvest brought on by drought. The dynasty fell apart in A.D. 907, after nearly three centuries of power, when its emperor, Ai, was ousted and the empire was partitioned. Climate change allegedly may have been one of the reasons of the downfall.
Page by Aarna and Sarah, DLDAVPP
image credits-
https://www.comuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/gu-kaizhi_admonitions_325.jpg
https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/4863.jpg?v=1640047502
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstock.pixlr.com%2Fdetails%2F1329211561-soft-beige-background%2F&psig=AOvVaw2XlRBvaIhE8TPYYFbEiO5x&ust=1648221467375000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCOiox8OM3_YCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE