The Early Dynasties

As farming villages formed larger communities, one family in each community became more powerful. Thus, families – or dynasties – began to rule large areas of China. The earliest records are of the Shang dynasty, from about 1766 to 1222 B.C.

During the Shang dynasty, artisans created beautiful bronze vessels to hold food and wine and to use in religious ceremonies. The Shang Chinese also used bronze to make weapons. They used these weapons to conquer land to the south of the Huang He valley.

The Shang kings worshiped many different nature gods. The supreme god was Shang Di, later known as Tian, meaning “sky” or “Heaven.” For over 3,500 years, Chinese rulers paid homage to him in elaborate ceremonies.

The Shang dynasty was overthrown by invaders from the western border areas of China. The conquerors called their new dynasty the Zhou. This dynasty ruled longer than any other in Chinese history – over 800 years. During this period, trade increased and walled cities began to grow.

The First Emperor

In 221 B.C., the ruler of the state of Qin in northwestern China conquered all of China. He then declared himself to be the First Emperor and adopted the title Shi Huang Di.

Few people in history have had such large ambitions. He built roads to connect all the portions of his empire with his capita;. His army marched south, conquering all the way to the northern part of present-day Vietnam. To keep out the barbarians from the north, the First Emperor connected existing walls to create the Great Wall of China. Supposedly a million workers lost their lives during the wall’s construction. He also built an enormous palace with hundreds of rooms. One of his first acts as emperor was to order workers to begin constructing his tomb, which consisted of a huge mound of earth.

The First Emperor’s successors were not as powerful as he was. A revolt overthrew the third ruler of the Qin dynasty. A new dynasty, the Han, took its place and became the model for future dynasties.

Respect for Harmony

Chinese civilization respected the idea of harmony. This respect is probably related to the ancient Chinese idea of yin and yang – two opposing forces that govern the universe. Yang is strong, light, and superior. Yin is weak, dark, and inferior. But nothing is ever completely yin or completely yang. A proper balance, or harmony, exists only when both are present.

About 2,500 years ago,, during a period of unrest, several Chinese philosophers searched for a way to restore harmony to the land. The most important of these philosophers was Confucius. Confucius taught a very basic ethical lesson: “Do not treat people the way you would not like to be treated.” He thought that China’s problems could best be solved by emphasizing family loyalty, correct behavior, and social responsibility. He believed that moral education – understanding the difference between right and wrong – would show people the study of poems and histories from China’s past. These works became the basis for the Chinese Classics. In later dynasties, people had to pass tests on these writings to become government officials.

The Three Teachings

Confucianism, with its active social philosophy, was considered yang. Its yin counterpart was Daoism, a philosophy developed during the Han dynasty. Its founder was named Laozi.

While Confucianism was mainly concerned with people in society, Daoism dealt with people in nature. Daoists believed that a person should try to escape from society rather than try to manage it. Laozi urged his followers to retreat into nature.

The third major system of thought in China was the religion of Buddhism. Buddhism reached China during the later Han dynasty.

It was a sign of Chinese harmony that eventually most Chinese people came to accept all three philosophies, called the Three Teachings. Each of them fulfilled different needs. Confucianism helped people live together. Daoism helped people find peace within themselves. Buddhism satisfied the need for religion.

The Four Treasures

The earliest examples of Chinese writing exist on 3,500-year-old bones. Used to predict the future, they were called oracle bones. The system of writing was based on symbols called characters. Originally, characters were pictures of things and were called ideographs. Later the Chinese developed a complicated system of combining sounds and ideas without using an alphabet. Today there are nearly 5,000 such characters in common use.

This system of writing has helped to unify Chinese people throughout their history. Though there are many Chinese dialects, the meaning of any written character is always the same.

The characters were also forms of great beauty. Calligraphy became an art as important as poetry or painting. So great was the Chinese respect for the four tools used in writing – paper, brush, inkstone, and ink – that they were known as the Four Treasures.

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