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Woodbury Elementary

The Ancient Chinese

China is probably the most oldest civilization that is still alive today. The reason for this is because everyone who conquered China became Chinese. The first people who were Chinese was the Xia people They ruled for exactly 500 years after that the Shang people took over. The Shang people was the one who created China’s culture. Like all civilizations China grew next to a water source, the rivers were Huang He and the Chang Jiang. The Shang was also the first Chinese to create written language. It All started with oracle bones or bones that priests wrote questions to the gods on them. Then they would get a hot piece of metal and touch the bone with it then by the way it cracks the answer is told.

The next dynasty that took over was the Zhou. The Zhou’s way of contribution to the Chinese religion was that they created the mandate of heaven in which was a item that they believed that the gods gave to the ruler but if he was bad or foolish they would take it away and disasters would happen such as floods, droughts, peasant uprisings, plagues, etc. The Zhou however didn't have strong central government. They rewarded people with land instead of money. Every single time the king would reward he had less and less land. Eventually the people with parts of the kings land grew stronger and stronger that they wouldn't need the kings support anymore. Then the people became so strong that they fought with their neighbors. Eventually one of the dynasties conquered all of china, that dynasty was Qin.

The ruler who conquered China was Shi Huangdi. Shi Huangdi wanted a strong central government so he ended internal battles between warring states, conquered rival states, and he took power from defeated noble families. All these steps were necessary to become a powerful emperor. After he completed doing all those steps he started to unite pieces of his land by creating highways and irrigation projects. Shi Huangdi forced thousands of peasants to work on the projects, he also set high taxes to pay for the construction and pay the peasants. Shi Huangdi also set the government standards for weights, coins, and writing. All these steps were necessary for power, a strong government, and trade. Shi Huangdi was also the one to link and recreate the great wall. However in 210 B.C Shi Huangdi died and was buried in a tomb that archeologists believe that are filled with wonders such as rivers of mercury on the floor, and diamond gems on the ceiling that were meant to symbolize stars. Also near his tomb thousands of terra cotta soldiers were buried, archeologists found it in 1974. Shi Huangdi’s son was as strong as a ruler than his father. During the last years of his sons reign, a civil war broke out and a military general named Liu Bang took over.

Liu Bang was from the state of Han, Liu Bang kept the strong central government but lowered tax rates and made punishments less harsh. After Liu Bang died his widow Empress Lu took over the throne for her young son, unfortunately she outlived her son but she adopted orphans that were to young to rule so she could rule longer. After Empress Lu died all her close relatives were executed. Liu Bang however had a great grandson named Wudi he was nicknamed the Martial Emperor because he used war to expand the Han empire. All these dynasties were major to China. Right now in present day, China is being ruled by communism.