Chinese History 历 史
Most countries can look back at a few hundred years of continuous recorded history; China looks back at thousands of years. From earliest times an accurate account of events has been treasured by the Chinese, this is embodied in the character 史 history ’ which also has the meaning ‘impartial’ . Chinese people know their heritage well and have a long tradition of revering their ancestors . A good knowledge of Chinese history is essential to understanding and relating to its people.
We include pages on all the main dynasties as well as significant events in Chinese history, up to the foundation of the Republic separate section Taiping Rebellion railways Imperial system Hanlin Academy Imperial officials kowtow Opium Wars Early contacts with Britain 18th century UK-China contacts Leibniz Treaty port system Chinoiserie Lay-Osborn debacle Chinese coolies
Click on the time chart on the left to go to a particular time period.
The Great Wall of China The iconic vision of the Great Wall snaking its way up mountainsides is known the world over. One of China's great accomplishments that is genuinely awe-inspiring is the Great Wall. The true story behind the wall is more interesting than the widespread myths. Although it stands for China's enterprise and indomitable spirit, it in the end proved a monumental waste of human endeavor. On our page describing the wall we debunk some of the many myths surrounding its construction. Read more…
The Qin Dynasty The brief spell of rule by the Qin (only 15 years) defined much of what we now about China. The brutal and centralized rule of Qin Shihuangdi set common standards for all sorts of things across his new vast empire including measurements and the Chinese script. Read more…
Japan and China History of the often difficult relations between China and Japan. The Japanese occupation of China 1937-45 and continued U.S. support for Japan has led to continuing frictions between governments and peoples. Read more…
Traditional medicine in China Thousands of years of seeking cures to illness in China has led to a wide range of traditional medicines and procedures being discovered. Nowadays traditional medicine is used for minor ailments and when western medicine offers no solution. Read more…
Three Character Classic The Three Character Classic (San Zi Jing 三 字 经 language primer for children who aspired to a scholarly life. It introduces the student to Chinese history, philosophy as well as the most common characters. It contains many exhortations for the student to study long and hard. Read more…
First British contacts with China A survey of all the first British contacts to China up until 1700. These included 'pirates' like John Weddell who sought to force China into trading with England down the barrel of a cannon and John Webb a committed fan of everything about China. Regrettably this honeymoon period of relations was not to last. Read more…
Foreigners in China China was exploited by foreign powers from the end of the Qing dynasty to the foundation of the PRC in 1949. The establishment of foreign enclaves within most Chinese cities one hundred years ago led to many frictions with the foreign powers, particularly Britain. The treaty port system forcibly opened up cities to foreign trade in late Qing dynasty China. Read more…
Traditional performance China has a great range of traditional performing arts: theater, opera, dance, shadow and glove puppetry and story-telling. Many of these have roots back in ancient times - over a thousand years. Mass media has reduced popularity of most forms but devoted practitioners are helping to keep the art-forms alive. Read more…
Quiz all about Chinese New Year Try our tough quiz about all the little known facts of the annual Spring Festival. Read more…
Chinese Tortures China since early Imperial times has had a system of brutal punishments for crime. Torture was routinely used to extract a confession and there was no defense attorney to help you. For high treason a particularly gruesome and painful death was devised - death by a thousand cuts. Even today China uses the death penalty more frequently than the rest of the world put together. Read more…
All the tea in China Tea originates from China, it has been drunk there for thousands of years. It took a long time to find the best way to select the best varieties and process the leaves. Initially the very bitter flavor made it suitable only as a medicine. Our guide covers history of tea , its preparation, growing and appreciation. Read more…
