History of China

Throughout all of ancient history there have been many cases of long-established trade, none of these are as famous as the Silk Road of China. The Silk Road integrated China and the Western World, including India, Greece, Persia and Rome. It was named the Silk Road in 1877 by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen. The Silk Road was first established in the second century BC and it was put out of use in the 1400’s. Not only was silk traded on this road but culture as well. Many religions, consisting of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manicheism, Nestorianism, and Islam were spread to China and the West through trade and communication. Also, the Chinese Four Great Inventions: papermaking, printing, gunpowder, and the compass, were…

Podcast Critique: The China History Podcast: “The Opium War” Laszlo Montgomery’s podcast, The China History Podcast: “The Opium War” discusses the background, causes and effects of the First Opium War, which lasted from 1839 to 1842 and ended with the first of the “unequal treaties”, the Treaty of Nanjing, which forced China to cede Hong Kong and several harbors to the British Empire. The podcast has one speaker and is primarily informational with an informal tone. One event that Montgomery…

Religion in China Religion first sprouted it’s roots in China’s grand history during the Shang Dynasty. The people worshipped weather gods and sky gods, but the most important god was named Shang-Ti ("History of Chinese Religion"). People who lived during the dynasty also believed that their ancestors became similar to gods. Each family worshiped their own ancestors. Daoism soon followed, which taught the people to keep peace through compromise and using natural forces ("History of Chinese…

The history of Great Britain's empire has always been a little controversial, but by examining their interactions with China during the 19th century, it is apparent that this part of their history was selfishly corrupt and malevolent. This essay shall argue that for many years leading up to the First Opium War, Great Britain fully endorsed the smuggling of illegal opium into China; the goal being to increase revenues within India, and consequently of Britain itself. Despite knowing the harm…

Meghan Barlaug Ms. Gill D/E Humanities – 2A 26 February 2016 Word Count: Shang Dynasty The Shang dynasty is the first recorded Chinese dynasty. There is documentary and archaeological evidence that the other dynasties do not have (Van Doren 1). The Shang dynasty ruled between 1766 BC and 1122 BC (“World History Timeline: The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China" 1). According to Chinese history, the Shang dynasty was the second dynasty of Ancient China. It was founded by a rebel kind named Tang…

nother outbreak occurs in China. The Chinese people are starting to grow anger for one main reason. They are mad because foreigners are take their jobs. The businesses of China are hiring foreigners because they have better knowledge and technology. Christian missionaries are helping the Chinese people by teaching them new customs. Some of the Chinese people are started to rebel against the missionaries. The majority of the people that went against the Chinese were known as “boxers” to the…

China first introduced the world to tea, and according to Chinese tradition the first cup was brewed by Shen Nung, an emperor who reigned 2737-2697. It was claimed that like wine and coffee, the tea was created by accident. It is said that Nung was boiling water to drink, when a gust of wind brought some leaves into his pot. When he drank the tea, it was found refreshing. Tea is a mix of dried leaves, flowers and buds of the evergreen bush, Camellia sinensis. The drink quickly spread throughout…

A Comparative Perspective: Guanxi Guanxi is not an unchanging practice inherent in Chinese culture, but is a deeply historical and constantly evolving cultural phenomenon that has adapted to the shifting political and economic patterns of modern China (Osburg, 2013, p. 24). This section will explore the historicity of guanxi, its related cultural forms—renqing, kinship, and reciprocity—and will chart the dynamism of the affective and instrumental components of guanxi through a comparison of…

Decree By Incentive: Government Philosophies of Ancient China Throughout China’s expansive history, the nation has used a variety of foundations to justify their positions on political power. Though the claims change throughout the years, they tend to fall into one of two classifications: either the philosophy has a sacred, often religious basis, or it has a secular justification. Some methods of governance focus on severe punishments for breaking laws, and others expect a government to lead…

out of power because the city was ransacked. When one of these events occurred the dynasty would collapse and fall into chaos for a few years. The chaos would continue until a new king came into power, (of a different dynasty), who could control the previous mess that had been made. In China, however, there were originally no dynasties what so ever. Before a Chinese ruler died he would typically choose a man to take his place. Unlike Egypt, the selected man was not blood related. He could be a…