The history of the human race covers the entire
period since man first appeared on earth. By about 4000 BC the accumulated knowledge
and skills of the preceding thousands of years, combined with new discoveries
of metals enabled man to live in urban societies. The emergence of this stage
was a revolution in human history known as the metal age revolution. It led to
the emergence of the first civilizations which are known as River Valley Civilizations. Such river valley
civilizations were noted for the effective use of metal implements for
Cultivation, weapons and domestic use.
The Bronze Age civilizations which flourished in
different parts of the world between 5000 BC and 500 BC were
1. The Indus Valley civilization or the Harappan culture (3250 to 2750 BC)
2. The Tigris - Euphrates
civilization of Mesopotamia, the modern Iraq (3500 BC to
1000 BC)
3. The Nile Valley Civilization in Egypt (4000-500BC)
4. The Hwang -Ho or the Yellow River civilization in China (3500-3000 BC)
The early Chinese Civilization or The
Hwang-Ho Valley Civilization
The Hwang-Ho is known as Yellow river
because it brings the Yellow alluvial soil and deposits it on its banks. The
civilization represents the largest unbroken chain of development known to
humanity. The role of rivers Hwang- Ho, and Yang-tze Kiang are significant in
shaping the culture, civilization and History of China. The Hwang-Ho is called
sorrow of China as its annual floods cause widespread destruction of both
possessions and to agriculture. The geography and topography of China caused
the civilization to develop in isolation. The Chinese people belonged to the
Mongol race. They have yellow complexion, short, oblique eyes, snubbed nose and
black hair.
Political History of Ancient China
Fu Xi was the first known king. The
Shang dynasty (1766-1122.BC) unified the territories of Yellow river. The
succeeding Chou dynasty and its ruler Wu-Wang introduced many reforms and the
Chou Age is known as the classical Age of China. After the decline of Chou
Dynasty China became disunited and feudal lords reigned supreme. Hence this age
is known as feudal age. Shi - Huang -Ti who belonged to Chin dynasty, put an
end to the feudal control. He is remembered in history as the builder of the
great wall of China. The Chinese honoured the teachings of great philosophers
named Confucius, and Lao tze.
Socio- Economic Condition
The Chinese society was divided into the
privileged and unprivileged classes. The nobility and the priests enjoyed most
of the privileges in China. The life of peasants was generally miserable.
Slavery and forced Labour were common features. Women were not given much
freedom in the society. The system of foot binding was common among women. They
had no right to property. However there was no hereditary bureaucracy in China.
The officials were chosen from a class known as “Mandarin” who were
selected through a series of public examinations. After the spread of
Confucianism, there was marked change in the society.
The Chinese cleared and drained the
Hwang-Ho basin and cultivated crops; there canal irrigation was in practice.
They wove silk garments which attracted the attention of the world trade. They
developed the ceramic art to a very fine manner and even now ceramic cups are
called China cups. The horse was known to them and was used in warfare.
The earliest commodities
of trade in China were silk, ceramics, salt and iron. The trade was taken
through the inland canals. There were guilds to protect the interest of the
merchants. During this period commercial contacts with Asia, Southeast Asia,
the Mediterranean region and South Asia were established. The popular drink
“Tea” is also a gift of the ancient Chinese to the modern world.
Religion and Philosophy
Chinese believed in ancestor worship and
made offerings to them. They also worshipped petty village deities and believed
in the existence of good and evil sprits. To welcome the good spirits and ward
off evil spirits, they used to build towers in each village and burst crackers
to ward off evil spirits. They believed that a mythological dragon was
protecting their land and people. The great Chinese thinker LaoTse condemned
ritualistic practices and advised people to go with nature. Confucius, the
great Chinese philosopher emphasized that, moral living, discipline and duty
consciousness alone would lead us to peaceful and prosperous society. Later on
Buddhism was introduced and it soon became the most influential religion in
China.
Chinese Script
The Chinese developed a pictographic
script and later brought out many changes in it. Their writing was done on
bones or tortoise shells with the help of some sharp instrument. In 2nd
century A.D they invented the paper. Silk pieces were also used for writing.
Ink was invented in 5th Century AD. The Chinese pencils were made of
bamboo.
Some of the valuable scientific discoveries
owe their origin to ancient China. Theories of Lunar and Solar eclipses were
also developed. They
made some scientific inventions like the
Water Mill, the Mariner compass, the gunpowder and paper currency.
An anatomical study of human bodies was
popular. In mathematics they introduced abacus method. One of the noblest
contributions of ancient China was its art of block printing. The Chinese
civilization has left an indelible mark on human progress and cultural legacy
of the world.
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