A Simplified History of China

Today is Deepavali and I wish all Hindus and Indians a very happy Deepavali. It is a public holiday in this part of the world and I have been trying to do some useful reading. One of the top on my list articles to read is the history of China. With such a long and complicated history, I usually do not have the time and patience to read those long articles on this subject.

Today I came across this website which gives a brief history of China, I find it useful and hope it would benefit you as well. The first 2 paras of the article is given below.

" Homo erectus fossils ("Peking Man", nowcalled "Beijing Man" in China) have been found in the cave-ridden hills of Zhoukoudian (50 kilometers southwest of Beijing) which are an estimated 680,000 to 780,000 years old. Agricultural civilization began in China as early as 8,000 BC with the cultivation of millet & rice around the Yellow & Yangtze Rivers, respectively. Settlements along the Yangtze began to use silk and produce art having dragon motifs around 3,500 BC. Finely carved jade (a symbol of wealth and power in China comparable to gold in the West) first appeared around the Yellow River around 3,500 BC.

The first known Chinese dynasty was that of the Shang, which began in northeastern Hunan and later extended eastward along the Yangtze to the sea. Shang warriors used horse-drawn chariots. Various city-states served as capital during the 500 or so years of the dynasty. Religion was based on reverence for ancestors, heavenly bodies and a supreme god who dominated the forces of nature. Royalty have been found buried with their valuables, including servants who were buried alive. The invention of Chinese writing is associated with Shang, which would explain why the Shang is the first dynasty for which there is a written record."

 Invention of Chinese Writing

 Symbols were carved on oracle bones and tortoise shells

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