Chinese Civilization

Why are finds of pottery fragments important? What do

they tell us about China?
• China probably influenced the founding of Korea, its
iron technology, and many cultural similarities.
However, the Korean language developed
independently. China seldom controlled Korea outright
but was often able to maintain at least a hegemonic
relationship with the smaller nation. Thus, Chinese
influence remained heavy, particularly during much of
the Han Dynasty (109 B.C.E. to C.E. 220) and then
again from the seventh to the eighteenth centuries.
 Chinese Civilization
• Chinese Civilization or at least the
written history of it dates back as early
as 1250 BC.
• It starts from the Shang dynasty as per
the oldest records.
• Some sources also mention a Xia
dynasty, which is supposed to be older
than the Shang dynasty but since there’s
no historical records from Xia dynasty, it
remains in limbo as of now.
 Important sites of the Chinese
Civilization
• The early Bronze Age site at Erlitou is supposed to be from
the almost mythical Xia dynasty. But there’s no proof!
• For the Shang period, we have the excavations at Erligang
(present-day Zhengzhou) and Anyang (modern-day Henan).
• For the Zhou period, we have Zongzhou (modern-day Xi'an),
Chengzhou (Luoyang), and the Yangtze River valley.
Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
A. Engineering
1. Great Wall of China
• The Great Wall of China was built over
centuries by China’s emperors to
protect their territory.
• the Great Wall was originally conceived
by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third
century B.C. as a means of preventing
incursions from barbarian nomads.
 Contribution of the Chinese
Civilization
A. Engineering
1. Great Wall of China
• The best-known and best-preserved section of the
Great Wall was built in the 14th through 17th
centuries A.D., during the Ming dynasty.
• Though the Great Wall never effectively prevented
invaders from entering China, it came to function as a
powerful symbol of Chinese civilization’s enduring
strength.
 Contribution of the Chinese
A. Engineering Civilization
2. Grand Canal
• is a vast artificial waterway system in the north-
eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running
from BeiConstructed in sections from the 5th century
BC onwards, it was conceived as a unified means of
communication for the Empire for the first time in
the 7th century AD (Sui dynasty). jing in the north to
Zhejiang province in the south.
 Contribution of the Chinese
A. Engineering Civilization
2. Grand Canal
• It formed the backbone of the Empire’s
inland communication system,
transporting grain and strategic raw
materials, and supplying rice to feed the
population.
• It has played an important role in ensuring
the country’s economic prosperity and
stability and is still in use today as a major
means of communication.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
B. Paper Making 105 A.C
• The invention of paper greatly affects
human history. Paper already existed in
China since 105 A.C, however, a eunuch
named Cai Lun (ca. 50 AD – 121) made
significant innovation and helped drive
its widespread adoption.
• His advanced paper-making technology
then spread to central Asia and the
world through the Silk Road.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
C. Movable Type Printing 960-1279 AD
• Woodblock printing was already a widely used technique in the
Tang Dynasty. However, this kind of printing tech was
expensive and time-consuming.
• Until the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a man named Bi Sheng
(990–1051) invented movable type printing, making it quicker
and easier.
• He first carved individual characters on pieces of clay and then
harden them with fire.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
C. Movable Type Printing 960-1279 AD
• These movable type pieces were later
glued to an iron plate to print a page
and then broken up and redistributed
for another page.
• This kind of printing tech rapidly
spread across Europe, leading up to
the Renaissance, and later all around
the world
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
E. Gunpowder 1000 A.D
• Gunpowder was invented by Chinese Taoist
alchemists about 1000 A.D. when they tried to
find a potion to gain human immortality by
mixing elemental sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter.
• It is generally believed that gunpowder spread to
Europe during the Mongol expansion of 1200-
1300 A.D..
• The interesting fact is that Chinese used this
discovery mainly for firecrackers while
Europeans created cannons and guns and
dominated China in the mid-1800s.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
F. Compass 1100 A.D.
• A compass is a navigational instrument
that shows directions. The compass was
invented by Chinese between the 2nd
century BC and 1st century AD. It was first
used in Feng Shui, the layout of buildings.
• By 1000 AD, navigational compasses were
commonly used on Chinese ships, enabling
them to navigate. Arab traders sailing to
China might learned of the tech and
brought it to the West.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
G. Alcohol 2000 BC－1600 BC ( brewery)
• Alcohol is known as Jiu in Chinese and is often used as a
spiritual offerings to Heaven and the Earth or ancestors
in ancient China.
• Study shows that beer with an alcoholic content of 4% to
5% was widely consumed in ancient China and was even
mentioned on oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang
Dynasty (1600 BC–1046 BC).
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
H. Mechanical Clock 725 A.D.
• The world’s first mechanical clock -Water-
driven Spherical Birds – was invented by Yi
Xing, a Buddhist monk in 725 A.D..
• It was operated by dripping water which
powered a wheel that made one revolution
in 24 hours.. Hundreds of years later, the
inventor Su Song developed a more
sophisticated clock called the Cosmic
Empire in 1092, 200 years earlier before the
mechanical clock was created in Europe.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
I. Silk 6,000 years ago
• Silk, one of the oldest fibers, originated in China as early as
6,000 years ago.
• The earliest evidence of silk was discovered at Yangshao culture
site in Xiaxian County, Shanxi Province, China where a silk
cocoon was found cut in half, dating back to between 4000 and
3000 BC.
• Chinese people mastered sophisticated silk weaving tech and
closely guarded secret, and the West had to pay gold of the
same weight for the silks.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
I. Silk 6,000 years ago
• In ancient times the silk
was a very important
item made in China and
for many centuries
businessmen transported
this precious item from
China to the West,
forming the famous Silk
Road.
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
J. Porcelain 581 – 618 AD
• Porcelain is a great
invention of ancient
China.
• The earliest porcelain
emerged in Shang
Dynasty (1600– 1046
BCE) and matured during
the Tang Dynasty (618-
906).
 Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
K. Paper Money 9th century A.D.
• Paper money were first developed by the
ancient Chinese, who started using
folding money at the end of the 8th or
beginning of the 9th century AD.
• Paper bills were originally used as
privately issued bills of credit or
exchange notes.
• A merchant could deposit his cash in the
capital, receiving a paper “exchange
certificate” which he could exchange for
metal coins in other cities.
Other Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
• Tea Production 2,737 BC.
• Umbrella 1,700 years ago
• Acupuncture 2300 years ago
• Iron smelting 1050 BC－256 BC
• Earthquake Detector 132 A D (a seismograph)
• Rocket 228 A. D.
• Bronze 1700 B.C.
• The Kite 3,000 years ago
• The Seed Drill 3500 years ago
• Row Crop Farming 6 Century BC
• Toothbrush 1498 in China
Other Contribution of the Chinese Civilization
• Chopstick
• Peking Gazette- first news paper in the world
• Fan
• Lantern – made of paper
• Philosophy of Confucianism and Taoism