China: History & Timelines
[ Top ]
China's & Siberia's Cultures: a big guide from WorkingDogWeb with many more resources than this
sampling
Overview of
Chinese History and China: The World's Oldest Civilization
Ancient Dynasties: Xia, Shang and Zhou, illustrated with images of
oracle bones, bronze vessel, map, and a 4,000-year timeline of Chinese history, plus a timeline of key political and cultural events of each period
Explore China's dynasties,
culture, philosophy, politics in depth:
· The Shang - earliest Yellow River culture with
archaeological evidence,
including a look at religion, rituals, bronze, oracle bones, writing
· The Chou - conquered Shang
territories, built alliances; includes the
“mandate of Heaven,” government, armies, philosophy, population
growth
· The Chin - 15-year dynasty
expanded south, creating the first united
Chinese Empire; includes impact of the horse-riding steppe people
· The Han - long dynasty reunified China after wars,
and fostered the
culture known as Chinese. At ca. 50 A.D., China attacked
northern
Hsiung Nu or Huns, sending them north and west into Russia, Europe;
expanded the Silk Road. Also Later
Han, Han Synthesis of ideas
· Later periods: The Sui, The
T'ang, The Late Empire & The Sung
· The Yuan -
Mongol Empire, built by Ghengis
Khan, by 1241 included all
of Northern China; grandson Kublai Khan became emperor, moved his
capital to Beijing, recaptured southern China. After a period of famine,
a Chinese peasant led an uprising against the Yuan, drove them out and
established the Ming Dynasty that lasted until 1644.
China: Geography & Maps [ Top ]
China's Dynasties: 3000 BC to 1912
AD and Chinese Dynasty
Maps: territory ruled by Zhou, Qin,
Han, Tang, Sung, Yuan, Ming, Qing
Geography of China: eight regions of China from the Tibetan highlands to the eastern
lowlands, plus the mountains, rivers and lakes, more, with map
China - Large Map and 5 Maps
of China: a look at China's location in Asia, mountains, rivers,
cities, Mongolia, Lake Baikal and Siberia, more
Map
of Russian Far East next to China: map
provides a look at China's eastern neighbor, the RFE from Sakahlin Island to the Bering
Strait
Maps of China - Neolithic & Links to Maps by Dynasty including:
· Shang Dynasty Map
· Western
Chou or Zhou Dynasty Map
· Eastern Chou or Zhou Dynasty Map
Large
Map of China: with provinces, cities, major rivers, and a
map with provinces, and a colorful map with
provinces, neighboring countries
The People of China [ Top ]
China is People: in fact, 1.3 billion people, and more on China's People: 90 percent of Chinese are Han, there are 55 national minorities
List of 56
Chinese Ethnic Groups: including:
· Han Chinese:
the dominant group, the name from the Han dynasty
· Mongols: people
of Mongolia, now northern China
· Manchu: people of
northeast China who briefly ruled the countrya
Ancient Art & Culture [ Top ]
China's Arts
- Chronologically: from Yang Shao
pottery to bronze ritual vessels to jade daggers and scepters, a rare bronze vessel in owl form,
a p'an or
shallow vessel with beasts, and more
from various dynasties, and the evolution of the pen or p'an or shallow tray
China's Art &
Antiquities: painted pottery, bronze vessels, jade, paintings,
and more, plus a guide to China Knowledge in arts, culture, history
Pottery from Neolithic China: including a tripod vase in black pottery, in the shape of an owl - a
popular image - from the Yangshao Culture, and more pottery from China's Neolithic and from Shang
and Zhou Dynasties. See also Guide to Pottery from the earliest times in China, Japan
Pottery from China: various Neolithic styles, including Longshan Banpo
and painted pottery, plus Neolithic ceramics and pieces from Warring States
period, and the horse in
ancient China
Chinese Artifacts:
from early Neolithic stone tools and a
pottery pig, to Neolithic pottery, Shang
bronzes including a vessel in the
shape of an owl [see pottery owl above], a Shang
bronze mirror, a Zin
bronze mirror in circle shape with raised dot, Han
Dynasty clay warriors, much more
China's Art & Artifacts: from bronze vessels to terra cotta figurines, Shang
to Tang dynasties, plus wood and pottery figurines and artifacts such as a Han Dynasty terra cotta curled-tail dog [
see large
image ]
China's Art Across the Ages:
from painted Neolithic pottery to
Shang Dynasty jade mask to pottery striding horse to Han Dynasty curled-tail dog of
pottery [ see large image ]
from burial of Emperor Jingdi
Ancient Bronze Age of China:
pictures, descriptions of wine and food
vessels, decorative animals including ram's head, dragons, and the animal or beast mask
called t’aot’ie, and more early bronze objects from Xia, Shang
and Zhou, and the evolution of the taotie mask
Bronze Vessels: introduction, pictures, descriptions of Shang bronze vessels for food and
wine: ding, li, gui, jue, jia, pan, you, zun, others
China's Neolithic Art: painted pottery, jade bi disk,
followed by:
· Shang
Dynasty Art: 2,000-1,000 BC, pottery, bronze, jade
· Zhou & Han
Dynasties: 1,000 BC - 1 AD, jade, bronze vessels, bells
· Eastern Han Dynasty: 1 -
500 AD, stoneware with celadon glaze
· Tang & Song
Dynasties: 500 - 1,000 AD, tomb guardian, painting
Shang Dynasty Cultural
Developments: raising of silkworms,
pigs, dogs, pigs, sheep, oxen, grain-growing, bronze casting, religious rituals including dogs
buried in tombs of wealthy, powerful people, and sea
shells showing
trade with coastal peoples, while discoveries of oracle bones with writing in East China's Shandong Province also shows cultural
elements moved east
Dogs in Shang Dynasty China:
raising of dogs required people
designated as dog-keepers, and dogs were used as offerings to the gods, spirits
Cultural Images
from China: various maps, images from art,
archaeology, religion including Shang period oracle bones, ritual bronze vessels, more
Treasures from a Lost
Civiliation: ancient art from
Sanxingdui, Sichuan, including rare bronze masks, statues, more, Shang period and later
China: 100 Treasures: selections of ancient art from different regions
including bronze
wine vessel, Sanxingdui bronze
head, terra-cotta army of the first
emperor, near X'ian, more - and an
exhibit introduction
Splendors of Imperial China: selections of art from various dynasties including a treasure box with inlaid bi
or pi disk
The Importance of Trade to Chinese Art
Guide to China's Culture: many links to online resources, some defunct
.
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