History
China
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Ancient China
The Chinese civilization grew up on the banks of the Huang He (Yellow) River in northern China more than 7000 years ago. It developed in isolation from the rest of the world for...
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Shang dynasty
As the Chinese civilization developed, ruling families, or dynasties, began to take power. The Shang dynasty is the earliest ruling dynasty of China recorded in history, although...
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Zhou dynasty
The Shang dynasty was overthrown in about 1050 BC by a people from the valley of the River Wei, a tributary of the Yellow River (Huang He). They founded the Zhou dynasty which...
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Qin dynasty
There was a long period of unrest in China between 475 and 221 BC, called the Warring States period. The Zhou were still in power but the separate states in China gradually became...
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Great Wall of China
The Qin dynasty, under its leader Shi Huangdi, took control of China in 221 BC. Despite Shi Huangdi’s power and his army, his new empire was under constant threat from tribes...
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Terracotta Army
Qin emperor Shi Huangdi was a ruthless, determined man, but he had one great fear: death. In ancient times, people worshipped many different gods. Most people also believed in an...
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Han dynasty
The Han dynasty ruled the Chinese empire for more than 400 years, from 206 BC to AD 220. The first emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang (256 or 247–195 BC), who ruled as Emperor...
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Chinese inventions
If you go out and and buy a book with paper money, if you put up an umbrella, strike a match, fly a kite or push a wheelbarrow, you have the Chinese to thank. These things are so...
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Silk Road
The Chinese of the Han dynasty were traders whose merchants took silks from China to the West. An overland road, known as the Silk Road, stretched from the Chinese capital...
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China in the Middle Ages
The end of the Han dynasty in AD 220 brought confusion to China, as nomads attacked from the north and the country split into three kingdoms. China was reunited again by the brief...
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Forbidden City
The Forbidden City lies in the centre of Beijing, the capital of China. It was the home of the emperors of China and was known as the Forbidden City because ordinary people were...
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Ming, Qing and modern China
The vast nation of China saw huge swings in its fortune during this period. Governed first by the Ming and then the Manchu Qing dynasties, China became the most powerful country in...
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Chinese history A-Z
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Chinese history timeline