If that's the case, we better stop wasting time.
Chinese history began in the Shanxi Province along the Yellow river and for the most part the Chinese people were farmers.
Then came the ancient dynasties. First there was the Xia then the Shang but those were just warm ups. The first official dynasty and also the longest lasting one was the Zhou dynasty. This is where the concept of rule via the mandate of heaven first began.
Now the king was getting all these nice perks so people around him started getting jealous and soon the Zhou deteriorated (Spring and Autumn period) into the Warring States period. After a lot of fighting, the king of Qin was finally able to unite all of China which began the Qin dynasty. Although this dynasty is known for beginning the Great Wall of China and unifying China through a uniform law and money system, it was also know to quell opposing ideas by burning books and burying scholars.
No one likes book burnings so the Qin dynasty was quickly followed by the Han dynasty which was known for its advancement in arts and sciences and the development of the Silk Road. During the Han rule, someone tricked the Chinese people to adopt the Xin dynasty but that nonsense was quickly stopped and the Han dynasty returned to power shortly after. Due to some fighting between the Eunuchs and the king's lovers, China was thrown into another warring period romanticized by the famous novel called The Three Kingdoms.
The Jin dynasty finally beat out the other two kingdoms (Shu and Wu). When the Jin dynasty collapsed, China decided to use geography to name its dynasty so we ended up with Southern and Northern dynasties. No one liked those names and the thoughts of being divided so the Sui dynasty decided to take over. Unfortunately they ran the country poorly so the Tang Dynasty took power. This dynasty ushers us into the Golden Age of China where Buddhism was becoming more widespread, government is strong and poetry is rampant.
Of course, all good things come to an end and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period took its place. No one likes such a vague name so the Song dynasty takes charge of China. More dynasties come and go and then China is conquered by the Mongolians (shocking, I know). I'm not sure why they didn't rename China Mongolia or called the period the Khan dynasty but instead they decided to call it the Yuan Dynasty.
No one liked the Mongols so the Chinese people overthrew the Yuan dynasty and began the Ming dynasty. Those white and blue porcelain vases are named after this period (Ming Vase) and the Great Wall is finally finished. The Qing dynasty, the last dynasty in China, then took over up until 1911. That's less that 100 years ago.
Due to its refusal to work with other countries, China didn't benefit from the industrial revolution going on in Europe. Soon China offended some Europeans and the Opium War starts. Without the proper weapons, China loses Hong Kong to Britain and the opium trade is legalized (guess who makes opium? British-owned India ...).
As the western influence grows stronger in China, China begins to rebel with the Boxer Rebellion. The Chinese people weren't happy and decided to overthrow the Qing dynasty and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen pushed for revolution. This was sparked by the May 4th movement in protest of the Versailles treaty where China was not recognized and did not gain from its participation against Germany.
The Nationalist Party formed along with the Communist Party and they joined forces against the Japanese. After beating Japan, the Nationalist Party focused its attacks on the Communist Party. The Communists ended up winning and Mao Ze Dong became the country's leader. When Mao died, Deng Xiao Ping took over and opened the doors to China and create a market socialism.
China took of economically and is the second largest economy in the world. It is currently being led by Hu Jintao. For those who don't know, Britain did give back Hong Kong back to China in 1997.
That's it.
Chinese History in a nutshell.
Now the king was getting all these nice perks so people around him started getting jealous and soon the Zhou deteriorated (Spring and Autumn period) into the Warring States period. After a lot of fighting, the king of Qin was finally able to unite all of China which began the Qin dynasty. Although this dynasty is known for beginning the Great Wall of China and unifying China through a uniform law and money system, it was also know to quell opposing ideas by burning books and burying scholars.
No one likes book burnings so the Qin dynasty was quickly followed by the Han dynasty which was known for its advancement in arts and sciences and the development of the Silk Road. During the Han rule, someone tricked the Chinese people to adopt the Xin dynasty but that nonsense was quickly stopped and the Han dynasty returned to power shortly after. Due to some fighting between the Eunuchs and the king's lovers, China was thrown into another warring period romanticized by the famous novel called The Three Kingdoms.
The Jin dynasty finally beat out the other two kingdoms (Shu and Wu). When the Jin dynasty collapsed, China decided to use geography to name its dynasty so we ended up with Southern and Northern dynasties. No one liked those names and the thoughts of being divided so the Sui dynasty decided to take over. Unfortunately they ran the country poorly so the Tang Dynasty took power. This dynasty ushers us into the Golden Age of China where Buddhism was becoming more widespread, government is strong and poetry is rampant.
Of course, all good things come to an end and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period took its place. No one likes such a vague name so the Song dynasty takes charge of China. More dynasties come and go and then China is conquered by the Mongolians (shocking, I know). I'm not sure why they didn't rename China Mongolia or called the period the Khan dynasty but instead they decided to call it the Yuan Dynasty.
No one liked the Mongols so the Chinese people overthrew the Yuan dynasty and began the Ming dynasty. Those white and blue porcelain vases are named after this period (Ming Vase) and the Great Wall is finally finished. The Qing dynasty, the last dynasty in China, then took over up until 1911. That's less that 100 years ago.
Due to its refusal to work with other countries, China didn't benefit from the industrial revolution going on in Europe. Soon China offended some Europeans and the Opium War starts. Without the proper weapons, China loses Hong Kong to Britain and the opium trade is legalized (guess who makes opium? British-owned India ...).
As the western influence grows stronger in China, China begins to rebel with the Boxer Rebellion. The Chinese people weren't happy and decided to overthrow the Qing dynasty and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen pushed for revolution. This was sparked by the May 4th movement in protest of the Versailles treaty where China was not recognized and did not gain from its participation against Germany.
The Nationalist Party formed along with the Communist Party and they joined forces against the Japanese. After beating Japan, the Nationalist Party focused its attacks on the Communist Party. The Communists ended up winning and Mao Ze Dong became the country's leader. When Mao died, Deng Xiao Ping took over and opened the doors to China and create a market socialism.
China took of economically and is the second largest economy in the world. It is currently being led by Hu Jintao. For those who don't know, Britain did give back Hong Kong back to China in 1997.
That's it.
Chinese History in a nutshell.
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