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Chinese History

China is one of the oldest civilizations on this earth. This is, after all, the country that gave us Peking Man, who lived three-quarters of a million years ago. More realistically, the Chinese figure their civilization dates back just 5,000 years.

The Chinese base their history through the ages on dynasties, and generally consider the Xia Dynasty (2000 – 1200 BC) to be the first dynasty. The last dynasty was the Qing Dynasty which ended in 1911 when the youngster Pu Yi abdicated as the last emperor of China.

In decades past, China was considered a Third World country. No more. In the 21st century, it is emerging as a Super Power. To understand how China got to the point it is today, it is important to understand its past.

A Guide to the Imperial Worship of Heaven at the Temple of Heaven

Worshipping the God of Heaven at the Temple of Heaven is the most important national and imperial ceremony for the Ming and Qing emperors...

The Original Building of The Forbidden City in 1420

It was the Yongle Emperor (1403-24) who moved the capital from Nanjing ‘the southern capital’ to Beiping and renamed it Beijing meaning ‘the northern...

A History of Chinese Tattoos and Chinese Tattooing Traditions

Chinese tattoos have become a raging phenomenon among tattoo enthusiasts of the western world. Chinese tattoos offer beautiful characters with a sense of the...

The Opium War and the Opening of China

China before the Opium War was closed to the West. Foreign trade was strictly controlled by the government. The Chinese had a false sense...

Anyang – The Last Capital of the Shang Dynasty: Archaeology at Anyang in Northern...

Anyang, in Henan Province in northern China, has a long and distinguished past having once been the capital of the Shang Dynasty more than...

Early Medieval China and the Makings of Chinese Civilisation

China's history 'between the empires', the Han and Tang dynasties, was a formative period for Chinese culture civilisation. The dearth of close studies of the...

Classical China The Shang and Zhou Dynasties

The first known civilisations from earliest Chinese history were the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c.1650-771 BC). Learn about how they came to power. The Shang...

Causes of the First Sino-Japanese War

Between August 1894 and April 1895, China and Japan were engaged in a war over the future of the Korean peninsula in a conflict...

Is China’s Rise a Threat to International Stability?

Ever since its creation the Peoples Republic of China has sought to increase its power in relation to its regional neighbours and other international...

Chinese Furniture from the Ming and the Qing Dynasties

The later years of the Ming dynasty were a period of rising affluence among the elites of China following the austerity of earlier years....