The History Of Rulers In China
It’s difficult to tell how old Chinese culture is, but it’s one of the oldest cultures that still remains in the modern world. In the Shang period, Chinese civilization started along the Yellow River and spread from there when Bronze Age culture reached its pinnacle. Throughout much of China’s history, powerful families known as dynasties dominated the country.
The first Chinese Dynasty was the Xia Dynasty. From around 2070 BC to 1600 BC, the Xia Dynasty ruled until the Shang Dynasty took over. The Xia Dynasty was the first government to arise in ancient China, and it was also the first to follow a dynastic succession scheme, making it China’s first dynasty. It was thought to be a fictional construct of later Chinese historians until late twentieth-century archeologists uncovered sites that matched descriptions in earlier historians’ accounts. The Shang Dynasty, a more traditionally reliable governing body, overthrew the Xia. The Shang held power from 1600 to 1046 B.C., ushering in China’s Bronze Age. They were known for their advances in math, astronomy, artwork and military technology. The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is generally regarded as China’s cradle of civilization. Neolithic cultures, on the other hand, arose in various cultural centers along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers. The cultures of the Yellow River and Yangtze arose centuries before the Shang. China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations and is considered one of the cradles of civilization, with thousands of years of continuous history.
The larger Zhou period territory was divided by a network of feudal states and ruled over by kings after the Shang Dynasty was overthrown by the Zhou Dynasty in 1046 BCE. The king of Zhou only had direct control over a small part of the kingdom and was remunerated by feudal states.The Western Zhou was the first time of the Zhou dynasty. It was a relatively peaceful period, but after 770 BC, the Zhou king’s authority was revoked, and seven powerful states arose. The Zhou Dynasty lasted until 256 BCE, after which the Qin Dynasty was established in 221 BCE. Following the fall of the Zhou Dynasty, it was the first dynasty of Imperial China to unite the separate states following the Warring States Time, a period of near-constant warfare. Shi Huangdi founded the company.
The majority of Chinese history takes place during the imperial period. Chinese society was cultivated and prospered in times of prosperity, then reformed after rebellions and conquests, due to the cyclical rise and fall of dynasties. The colonial age of China runs from the Qin Dynasty, China’s first unified feudal monarchy, to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912.The feudal system governed the lands during imperialist times, with lords owning the land and farmers tending the fields. Later on, civil servants ran the cities, raised taxes, and implemented the rules, and the empire was controlled by them.
Authors: Yasemin Yırcalı & Alida Ovadya
Resources:
“China: Timeline — HISTORY.” 22 Mar. 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/china/china-timeline. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
“Shang Dynasty — World History Encyclopedia — Ancient History ….” 28 Jan. 2016, https://www.ancient.eu/Shang_Dynasty/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
“Xia Dynasty — World History Encyclopedia — Ancient History ….” 10 Jan. 2016, https://www.ancient.eu/Xia_Dynasty/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
