Sui – China’s Fifth Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty reunified China and helped to rebuild the country, paving the way for the glory of the Tang Dynasty.
The short-lived Sui Dynasty...
The Impact of the Steppe Peoples
From the Cimmerians to the Manchus, the nomadic horse riders from the Asian Steppes have swooped down on the sedentary peoples of Europe and...
Mongol Warriors and the Composite Bow
Genghis Khan began the Mongol invasions but it was the powerful composite bow which carried their civilization out of the steppe.
The Mongol tribes of...
Pu Yi – The Last Emperor of China
While on her deathbed the Empress Dowager Cixi chose the infant boy Pu Yi to be China's next emperor. In December 1908 he ascended...
An Introduction to Chinese History
China is the most ethnically diverse country in the world: it has more ethnic minority people of more different types than any other...
China’s Great & Crumbling Wall
The Great Wall of China was built to protect the country from northern invaders. From ancient centuries to the 1930s, millions of soldiers defended...
The Jurchen
The Jurchen (also known as the Jin) were the semi-nomadic people who had taken over the north of China. In 946, the Khitan people...
Historical Portrait of the Muslim Chinese
The Hui are one of the most important and peculiar of China's minorities because of their unique place inside China's socio-historical space.
Unlike some other...
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...
Tang Dynasty History
The Tang Dynasty was golden age in China. Art, philosophy, literature and technology all flourished during this period. International trade grew along the Silk...