Considered as one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China boasted of a long and fascinating 5,000 year old history.
Considered as innovators of the ancient world, the Chinese people had been responsible for countless important and innovative inventions that are continued to be used until now. The Four Great Inventions of China such as papermaking, the gunpowder, the compass and printing had brought the world to its knees.
But before we could understand China’s present, one must go back to the past.
After a period of prehistoric progress, China began its earlier taste of organized government through the establishment of the Xia Dynasty (21st to 17th century BC). The formation of the Xia Dynasty is considered by historians as an important event in Chinese history as this mark the end of the Prehistoric era and the beginning of advancement. It is on this particular era that a calendar system was devised to determined solar and lunar movements. Agriculture also improved during this time because of the introduction of advanced farming implements made of stone and bone.
The Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) succeeded the Xia Dynasty after the last Xia ruler was overthrown due to his tyrannical rule. During its 600 year reign, the Shang Dynasty had provided China with progress had directly in all aspects of life, whether in economy or culture.
After the Shang Dynasty, a period of long war and political turmoil plagued China during the Zhou Dynasty (770-221 BC). Two important periods such as the Spring and Autumn Period (770 -476 BC) and the Warring States Period (476-221 BC) defined the tone of the era. Due to the conditions at the time, China’s ancient military development had further improved leading to the creation of many innovations such as the use of iron and the crossbow, an important weapon of that time.
After a hundred years of war, the Qin State emerged as a victor out of the seven warring states and eventually became the Qin Dynasty, after formally ushered the unification of China under one rule.