A. Beijing Man/Peking Man (5,000,000 years ago)

 B. Early History the First Dynasty - Chinese scholars view the beginning of Chinese history from 2,852 B.C. the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty

 A.  Zhou dynasty  1027-221 B. C.800 years
 

1.  Tien, Supreme Diety is the moral order   2.  importance of land holding for power, regional semi-independent rulers.   3.  Mandate of Heaven legitimacy of government   4.  period of creativity in technology, philosophy and social change.

  B.  Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.) Capitol: Chang’an (Xian)
 

1.  Imposed logical uniformity over the whole country in law, coinage, script, standard weights and measures   2.  Built the Great Wall   3.  213 B. C. great burning of books to wipe out the past   4.  Produced a unified and centralized realm which remained  the Chinese ideal for Empire 5.  Terra Cotta Army of Qin Shi Huang Di

 C. Han Dynasty (206 B. C.- 221 A. D.)  Early Han 206 B.C. - 23 A. D.)  Capitol: Chang’an (Xian)
 
 

1.  Rebellion by Xiang Yu king of the Chu state led by Liu Bang who turned against him and establish the dynasty under the name of Gao Zu (202-195 B.C.)   2. Overturned Qin Legalism and absolutism, ruled by diplomacy and force.   3.  Confucian theories used to establish the state   4. Wu Di , "Martial Emperor" begins expansion of china’s borders   5.  Began the practice of recruitment for government service through exams   6.  Trade through the Silk Road, knowledge of people living outside China’s borders increase, silk trade with India.   7.  Wang Mang (Empress’  nephew) attempted to establish own dynasty but failed. land redistribution to keep it under government control and out of the hands of families.

 Later Han 23 - 221 A.D. Capitol: Luoyang
 

1.  Gen. Ban Chao sought to gain control over central Asia   2.  Contact with Ancient Rome   3.  Style of peasants’ homes developed remain the pattern today   4. Period marked by a broad eclecticism of thought. It is not necessary in holding one belief to exclude others.

 D. Six Dynasties Period  222-589 A.D.

  1.  Three Kingdoms Period warfare and changing fortunes, Gen. Guan Yu become deified as Guan Di the God of War

 F. Sui Dynasty  589-618 A.D.

  1.  short lived but set foundations for the Tang by extending the Great Wall and building the capitol at Chang’an
  2. Built a canal connecting Chang’an with the Yangze R. facilitating transport of grain.
 

  G.  Tang dynasty 618-907 A.D.
 
 

1.  Military expeditions to Korea weakened the Sui, the Li family est. Tang dynasty   2.  Greatest flowering of Chinese culture: invention of paper, printing, calligraphy, Buddhist Art, architecture   3.  Expansion of Chinese contact with Foreign countries: Japan, Korea, Europe   4.  Expansion of the use of the Civil Service   5.  Empress Wu - first woman to rule China in her own name.  Promoted Buddhism

 H.  Five dynasties 907-960, Ten Kingdoms 907-970, Song Dyn. 960-1126, Jin (Jurchen) 1126-1234, N. China; Sung dyn 1127-1279 S. China

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