The Chinese Dynasty Song
a history of the Middle Kingdom in rhyme
by Joe Váradi
The Chinese Dynasty Song
Chinese history
is shrouded in mystery,
more myth than fact
if you go further back
than two millennia, BC …
Shang (~1600 to 1046 BC)
The first “real” dynasty of Bronze Age clang,
Inscribed on Oracle bones, they called it Shang
Zhou (1046 to 256 BC)
Zhou lasted longest, some eight hundred years,
Central power’s decline into Warring States and tears
Qin (221 to 206 BC)
Unified empire, script and currency,
Brief, but long-lasting imperial legacy
Han (206 BC to 220 AD)
Prosperity, Golden Age
Confucianism — all the rage
Three Kingdoms (220 to 280 AD)
Wei, Shu, Wu — a divided nation
Bloodshed, technologic innovation
Jin (266 to 420 AD)