Map Showing the Eastern Section of Empire of China

HISTORY. The early history of China is wrapped in fable, beginning in 2635 B. c., though it is reasonably certain that the country was densely populated even before that time. It is thought that Fu-hi, who lived about that period, founded the social order of the Chinese. Confucius begins his record of Chinese history with the reign of Yao, in 2357 B. c., and praises him as the founder of civilization and prosperity. The Chow dynasty organized the government in 1122 and reigned by a succession of kings until 255 B. c., a period of about 900 years, during which the fine arts and literature flourished.

Confucius was born in 551 B. C., at a time when the nation was depressed by misrule and civil wars. The Chow dynasty was overthrown by the Tsin or Chin dynasty, in 255 B. c., from which China was named, and its rulers expelled the Tartars, abolished the feudal system, and built the great wall to protect China against invasions. Prince Cheng, one of the Tsin rulers, regarded a national hero of the Chinese, assumed the title of emperor, calling himself Che-Hoang-ti. He beheaded hundreds of scholars who supported feudalism and claimed sovereignty over all the nations of Eastern Asia.

The Han line of rulers reigned from 206 B. C. until 190 A. D. Within this Buddhism was introduced and competitive examinations as a qualification for office became established.

A Chinese Print Showing a Typical Landscape

Genghis Khan and the Mongols overran China in the early part of the 13th century. They established a Mongol dynasty in 1259, but this was displaced by the Ming dynasty in 1368, when Hung-wu became the reigning sovereign. The latter dynasty was succeeded by the Manchu-Tartar dynasty in 1618, and through a line of descent still holds the throne (as of 1908).

The first accounts published in Europe of the Chinese and their industries were from the pen of Marco Polo, who traveled in that country in the 13th century. Queen Elizabeth attempted to establish trade relations through the East India Company in 1596, but commercial intercourse of noteworthy extent did not take place until 1792.

China declared the opium traffic illegal in 1796, but the decree was not enforced until 1837, when the government decided to suppress this traffic and sent commissioners to Canton to confiscate the opium in the possession of merchants. These officials seized the stores of opium and published an edict that vessels engaged in the traffic would be subject to confiscation and the persons who engaged in it were declared punishable by death. This brought on the  Opium War of 1840, which terminated favorable to the British, and they compelled the opening of the five ports at Amoy, Canton, Ningpo, Fuchau, and Shanghai and the payment of an indemnity of $21,000,000. Four years later commercial treaties were made with France and the United States.

A formidable insurrection occurred in southern China in 1850, known as the Tai-ping rebellion, which was finally put down by an army raised at the expense of the merchants at Shanghai. This army was first commanded by an American named Ward and later by Charles George Gordons. In the meantime additional trade privileges were obtained by the European nations, and in 1874 the Chinese became complicated with the Mohammedans in Turkestan, which was followed by internal changes and the widening of Chinese influence in East Turkestan.

China became involved in a war with Japan in 1894, as an outgrowth of rival interests in Korea. The Japanese army and navy promptly invaded Chinese territory and succeeded in winning every combat, both on land and sea.

Through this war China lost the island of Formosa (Taiwan) and was required to pay an indemnity of about $150,000,000. Japan had demanded the cession of the Liaotung peninsula, including Port Arthur, but Russia was unwilling to lose the foothold she had gained, and in conjunction with France and Germany protested until Japan gave up her claim and Russia secured a lease of the harbor of Port Arthur. A large reform party in China sought to bring the country into closer commercial relations with other nations, who demanded an “open door” market, and this led to serious opposition through the organization known as the Boxers or the Righteous Harmony Society.

The Boxers were centered largely in Shantung and through the assistance of several other organizations promoted an agitation against foreign aggression. These revolutionists advocated the extermination of all foreigners, threatened the legations in Peking, and on June 20, 1900, murdered Baron von Ketteler, the German ambassador, on the streets of Peking.  This caused the diplomatic corps and those associated with them to fortify themselves in the British legation, which was besieged for nearly two months. The Boxer Rebellion had begun; it would lead to the military intervention in China of eight great powers including Japan and Britain.

A Scene from Chinese Mythology

To relieve the situation, the allied powers, including the United States, Germany, France, Russia, England, Japan, and Italy, dispatched a large army to China, which was placed ender the general command of Count Waldersee. The allied army captured the Taku forts on June 17, and later took possession of Tientsin and Peking. The royal family of China escaped to the interior and the allied army marched through the forbidden city. Prince Ching and Li Hung Chang were commissioned to conclude a treaty with the powers, and it was submitted and approved by the imperial government in 190

This treaty required China to pay an indemnity for the damage done to the different foreign interests, granted greater trade privileges, provided protection against members of anti-foreign societies, and gave enlarged advantages to invest foreign capital in constructing public utilities and developing the natural resources.

Little is known of the inner life of Chinese royalty, and the chief executive lives a most retired life under the etiquette of the court. The late ruler, Emperor Kwangsu, was born in 1872 and is thought to have reigned from 1901, but was deprived of all real share in government by the dowager empress. Both he and the dowager died in 1908, when Hsuen, Tung, an infant of three years, became emperor under the regency of his father, Prince Chun. Li Hung Chang, often called the Bismarck of China, attained to the highest reputation in modern Chinese statesmanship. He introduced many methods and ideas of western civilization. However, the sentiment “China for the Chinese” has had a permanent growth throughout the empire since the Boxer insurrection.

Unfortunately, many of discoveries were lost or failed to be perfected mainly due to China experiencing the equivalent of a dark age when it was overrun and occupied by barbarians from the North.

Considering that the Chinese had developed a hot air balloon toy that was an exact though miniature equivalent of the first manned balloon flown in France centuries later,  one can only wonder what the world would have been like if ancient Chinese civilization had been allowed to develop and take advantage of its initial head start.

Below is a partial list of Chinese “firsts” – technologies and devices which were actually invented or discovered in ancient China:

• the Abacus – the abacus was an ancient counting and addition/subtraction device – the forerunner of the modern calculator.
• the calendar
• the wheel barrow
• paper
• kites – in ancient China kites were used both as a toy and for more military purposes. Large kites were used to hoist human observers aloft to observe the enemy positions. Similar kites were used by European armies at the beginning of World War 1.
• relief maps
• halter (for horses and beasts of burden)
• bells
• fireworks
• an early form of the compass
• self igniting matches
• hot air balloons
• parachutes
• the fishing reel
• negative numbers – an amazing mathematical achievement allowing for complex mathematics and physics
• the umbrella
• gunpowder
• mechanical clocks
• flushing toilets
• magic mirrors
• brackets — which allowed for more complex engineering and construction
• silk
• porcelain (hence china)
• an early version of the printing press
• the suspension bridge

As well as many more ….

The Religions of Ancient China

As today,  Ancient China was a diverse land encompassing many different peoples and regions. Within this vast land were many different religions and belief systems,  some such as Confucianism developed locally while others such as Christianity and Buddhism were adopted (in varying degrees) from other lands.

This is a gateway to a book entitled the Religions of Ancient China by Herbert Giles.

• RELIGIONS OF ANCIENT CHINA
  

• PREPARER’S NOTE

• RELIGIONS OF ANCIENT CHINA

• CHAPTER I — THE ANCIENT FAITH

• CHAPTER II — CONFUCIANISM

• CHAPTER III — TAOISM

• CHAPTER IV — MATERIALISM

• CHAPTER V — BUDDHISM AND OTHER RELIGIONS

• CHRONOLOGICAL SYLLABUS

A Poor Chinese Family Works a Home Made Coal Mine

Coal mining has always been a dangerous occupation.  Cave ins explosions, and flooding have claimed the lives of thousands of coal miners.

In the modern era there have been many cave ins in which hundreds of miners have been trapped underground. Modern Chinese coal mines do not have a good safety record.

However, as bad as being a coal miner in modern China may be, it must be many times better than life for the coal miner in the early 1900’s, when coal miners had to descend into dark tunnels dug by hand with no electrical lighting.

In old China, many coal mines were essentially backyard affairs worked by several generations of the same families. These crude tunnels provided a livelihood for the family and also no doubt claimed many of its members.

In the picture attached to the post, one can see the primitive coal minining techniques that existed in Yun-Nan region of China around 1911.
Coal was abundant in many parts of Yün-nan, though production is small and methods of mining were very crude. The picture shows the tunnel leading underground.

The History and Amazing Achievements of Ancient China

This website provides information on the history and culture of Ancient China all the way to the beginning of the 20th Century when China began to emerge as a modern nation.

China’s civilization and culture has survived barbarian invasions and natural catastrophes, and has endured for thousands of years. Its achievements are many: art, calligraphy, pottery, china, and architectural wonders such as The Great Wall of China. China was the first civilization to invent gunpowder, the printing press, and domesticate the silk worm. In the 3rd Century B.C. Chinese civilzation developed the first hot air balloon, Kongming Lantern, which is used to this day in festivals. See also: Chinese Religions

China is the only ancient culture to have survived and evolved from the dawn of civilization to the present, basically intact yet still capable of evolving into the modern world. For example, Chinese writing is almost unchanged from a thousand years ago. Its characters would be recognizable to a Chinese person from 1000 B.C., yet the language has continued to evolve and can describe modern concepts such as computers, quantum mechanics and astrophysics