History of China

China, one of the countries that can boast of an ancient civilization, has a long and mysterious history - almost 5,000 years of it! Like most other great civilizations of the world, China can trace her culture back to a blend of small original tribes which have expanded till they became the great country we have today.

It is recorded that Yuanmou man is the oldest hominoid in China and the oldest dynasty is Xia Dynasty. From the long history of China, there emerge many eminent people that have contributed a lot to the development of the whole country and to the enrichment of her history. Among them, there are emperors like Li Shimin (emperor Taizong of the Tang), philosophers like Confucius, great patriotic poets like Qu Yuan and so on.

Chinese society has progressed through five major stages - Primitive Society, Slave Society, Feudal Society, Semi-feudal and Semi-colonial Society, and Socialist Society. The rise and fall of the great dynasties forms a thread that runs through Chinese history, almost from the beginning. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st, 1949, China has become a socialist society and become stronger and stronger.

 Chinese History Chronology

Dynasty	Period	Founder	Capital
Prehistoric Times	1.7 million years ago - the 21st century BC	recorded leaders include Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun...	around the Yellow River and Yangtze River in central China
Xia	21st - 17th century BC	Yu the Great	Anyi ( in Yuncheng, Shanxi); Yangcheng (in todays's Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan); Yangdi (in todays's Yuzhou, Henan); Zhenxun (in Luoyang, Henan)
Shang	17th century BC - 1046 BC	Tang	Bo (in Shangqiu, Henan); Yin (in Anyang, Henan)
Zhou	1046 - 256 BC
Western Zhou	1046 BC - 771 BC	King Wu (Ji Fa)	Fengjing and Haojing (in today's Xian, Shaanxi)
Eastern Zhou	770 - 256 BC	King Ping (Ji Yijiu)	Luoyi (today's Luoyang)
--- Spring and Autumn Period	770 - 476 BC
--- Warring States Period	475 - 221 BC
Qin	221 - 207 BC	Qin Shi Huang (Ying Zheng / Zhao Zheng)	Xianyang (in today's Xianyang and Xian of Shaanxi)
Han	202 BC - 220 AD	Liu Bang
Western Han	202 BC - 9 AD	Liu Bang	Chang'an (today's Xian)
Xin Dynasty	9 - 23 AD	Wang Mang	Chang'an (today's Xian)
Eastern Han	25 - 220 AD	Liu Xiu	Luoyang
Three Kingdoms Period	220 - 280 AD
Kingdom of Wei	220 - 265 AD	Cao Pi	Luoyang
Kingdom of Shu	221 - 263 AD	Liu Bei	Chengdu
Kingdom of Wu	222 - 280 AD	Sun Quan	Jianye (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu)
Jin	265 - 420 AD	Sima Yan
Western Jin	265 - 316 AD	Sima Yan	Luoyang
Eastern Jin	317 - 420 AD	Sima Rui	Jiankang (Nanjing, Jiangsu)
Five Hus and Sixteen States	304 - 439 AD
Southern and Northern Dynasties	420 - 589 AD
Southern Dynasties	420 - 589 AD
--- Song	420 - 479	Liu Yu	Jiankang (today's Nanjing)
--- Qi	479 - 502	Xiao Daocheng	Jiankang (Nanjing)
--- Liang	502 - 557	Xiao Yan	Jiankang (Nanjing)
--- Chen	557 - 589	Chen Baxian	Jiankang (Nanjing)
Northern Dynasties	386 - 581 AD
--- Northern Wei	386 - 534	Tuoba Gui	Pingcheng (today's Datong, Shanxi); Luoyang
--- Eastern Wei	534 - 550	Yuan Shanjian (actually controlled by Gao Huan)	Yecheng (in Linzhang, Handan, Hebei)
--- Western Wei	535 - 557	Yuan Baoju (actually controlled by Yuwen Tai)	Chang'an (today's Xian)
--- Northern Qi	550 - 577	Gao Yang	Yecheng (in Linzhang, Handan, Hebei)
--- Northern Zhou	557 - 581	Yuwen Jue	Chang'an (today's Xian)
Sui	581 - 618 AD	Yang Jian	Daxing (in today's Xian, Shaanxi); Luoyang
Tang	618 - 907 AD	Li Yuan	Chang'an (today's Xian); Luoyang
Five Dynasties and Ten States	907 - 960 AD		Bianliang (Kaifeng, Henan); Luoyang
--- Later Liang	907 - 923 AD	Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong / Zhu Huang)	Bianliang (Kaifeng)
--- Later Tang	923 - 936 AD	Li Cunxu	Luoyang
--- Later Jin	936 - 946 AD	Shi Jingtang	Bianliang (Kaifeng)
--- Later Han	947 - 950 AD	Liu Zhiyuan	Bianliang (Kaifeng)
--- Later Zhou	951 - 960 AD	Guo Wei	Bianliang (Kaifeng)
Ten States	902 - 979 AD
Song	960 - 1279 AD	Zhao Kuangyin
Northern Song	960 - 1127 AD	Zhao Kuangyin	Bianjing (Kaifeng)
Southern Song	1127 - 1279 AD	Zhao Gou	Nanjing (today's Shangqiu, Henan); Lin'an (Hangzhou)
Liao	907 --- 1125 AD	Yelü Abaoji	Shangjing (Baarin Left Banner, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia)
Western Xia Dynasty	1038 - 1227 AD	Li Yuanhao	Xingqing (today's Yinchuan, Ningxia)
Jin	1115 - 1234 AD	Wan-yen A-ku-ta (Wanyan Aguda / Wanyan Min)	Huining (Harbin, Heilongjiang); Zhongdu (today's Beijing); Bianjing (Kaifeng)
Yuan	1271 - 1368 AD	Kublai Khan	Dadu (today's Beijing)
Ming	1368 - 1644 AD	Zhu Yuanzhang	Yingtian (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu); Shuntian (today's Beijing)
Qing	1644 - 1911 AD	Aisin Gioro Nurhachi / Hong Taiji / Fulin (Emeror Shunzhi)	Beijing

from http://www.travelchinaguide.com

Features of Chinese Food

Chinese cuisine, rich and colorful, has, as its main features diversified color, aromatic flavor, and excellent taste. With these three characteristics, it is not only tasty but also a work of art for people to appreciate.

To make real Chinese dishes, none of the three characteristics - color, aroma and delicious taste should be excluded.

 Diversified Colors:

Dishes with diversified color can usually greatly arouse people's appetite. For many years, Chinese food preparation has paid attention to aesthetic appearance. To have a bright, pleased and harmonious color is one of the main principles when cooking dishes. To achieve this, add two or three ingredients with different colors are added as decoration to complement the main ingredient. Thus, it is not only the taste of the dishes that makes you amazed but also its aesthetic value.

Marinated Seaweed

A Dish with Diversified Color

 Aromatic Flavor:

The aroma of the dish is very important. Usually aniseed, Chinese prickly ash seeds, cinnamon and other spices are added to help dispel the ingredients' particular smells, such as foul, fishy and mutton smells. Also some other flavors like shallot, ginger, garlic or chili, cooking wine and sesame oil are added to make the dishes fragrant in flavor.

 Excellent Taste:

Regarded as the soul of the Chinese dish, taste can be divided into five classes - sweet, sour, bitter, hot and salty. Seasoning such as soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and salt in proper amount and in different sequences, contribute to the taste of the dish. In the vast land of China, there are eating habits of 'South-Sweet, North-Salty, East-Hot and West-Sour' according to the different tastes of the people. Those in southern China like to add more sugar when cooking than others. Jiangsu Cuisine one of the 'Eight Cuisines' is representative of 'South-Sweet'. Shandong Cuisine feature more salt and people living in Hunan, Gubei, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan like chili best. Sour flavor is favored by Shanxi, Fujian, Guangxi people and the northeasterners.

Crispy Goose

Pumpkin Cakes

When a banquet is held, usually ten to twelve people sit around a table to enjoy the bounteous feast. Delicious hot and cold dishes with different tastes and flavors cooked in different ways are served. Together with the diversified colors of the dishes, everyone can't help marveling at the rich Chinese dietetic culture.


from http://www.travelchinaguide.com

China Drinking Vessels

Way back in antiquity wine produced in China was not as we know it today. The fermented product had a thick creamy consistency and was eaten, not being suitable for drinking. Thus the vessels used were more or less the same as those used for other food such as bamboo bowls. Archeological finds dating from as early as the Neolithic Period, show that pottery had been brought into use and consequently drinking vessels were produced in a variety of forms from a simple cup to those with handles and elaborate shapes. Usually, the higher the quality are, the more dignified or important was the owner.

 Bronze Vessels
They became the fashion during the Shang Dynasty (16th -11th century BC), and these took on four different forms: there were those that were used for heating their contents, those that would contain a quantity of wine for serving such as jugs or flagons, actual drinking vessels, and those that were used for storage. As well as basic designs there were those that were quite elaborate and which were a symbol of social status. 

Bronze Drinking Vessel

Those were produced in the shapes of the tiger, elephant, rhinoceros, ox or sheep, etc. something that demonstrates the high standards of manufacturing skills that had been attained at the time.

 Lacquer Vessels
They became popular in the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220). As it was the custom for people to sit on the floor of their dwellings, the vessels would have been set there for them. This meant that the shapes tended to be low and chunky, often with ear-like handles. Excavation of the Mawangdui Han Tombs, revealed some 90 ear-handled cups that are evidence of the artistic skills employed in their production. From the Jin Dynasty (265 - 420) onwards, people liked to sit on a divan or bed, and this led to the introduction of tall and thin-necked cups.

 Porcelain Vessels
The design of porcelain vessels produced during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) surpassed any that had gone before and they were much smaller and more delicate. This material continued to be used until the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The bowls and stoups with their blue and white flower patterns were quite an art.

 Aesthetic Vessels

Porcelain Cup

Historically, the more unique vessels have been made from special materials such as gold, silver, ivory, jade, cloisonne, and so on. Although they were never in common use, they occupy an important position because of their high artistic value. The following descriptions are of very special ones:

Luminous Cup: a poet in the Tang Dynasty wrote a verse 'Grape-wine in the luminous cup' to describe the exotic scene in the western region (the next sentence emphasized the fact that soldiers should not be allowed to drink because of the imminent warfare). This distinctive cup was made of jade in Mt. Qilianshan which was said to have the function of helping keep the contents wholesome and now it is highly regarded for its aesthetic value.

Backwards-flowing Flagon: This can be seen in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. The flagon was produced during the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127). It has a round body and what appears to be the lid is like a persimmon pedicel. Its handle bears a phoenix which seems to be raising her head and about to take flight. The spout is carved as a female lion from whose mouth the wine can pour. Under the lioness is her son, - the 

Porcelain Wine Cup

suckling little lion adds more yet interest to the body. The belly of the flagon is decorated with a peony flower pattern. On the underside of the flagon there is a hole like a plum blossom. It is here that the wine is poured into the vessel and the design is such that the liquid does not run out when it is returned to an upright position.

Nine-dragon Fairness Cup: This is another cup from the Song Dynasty. A dragon is carved on the inside of the cup and there are eight painted dragons on the outside, hence the name 'nine-dragon cup'. Beneath them is a round tray with a hollow pedestal. When the wine is poured in properly, it cannot leak but if a certain limit is exceeded then all the wine will be absorbed into the pedestal.

Dushan Dayuhai: In Beijing's Beihai Park there is a large black jade urn that weighs 3,500 kilograms (7,716 pounds) and that can hold 1,800 kilograms (3,968 pounds). On its exterior there are powerful engravings of living dragons and beasts emerging from waves. It is said that this urn was transported in 1256.by the Yuan Dynasty's first emperor to reward heroes at a great feast.




from http://www.travelchinaguide.com