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.
Imperial Examinations One of China's most important exports was the respect for scholarship and learning. China was the first nation to appoint on basis of academic merit. Strict Imperial examinations were set up two thousand years ago and were the passport to a quieter life with a steady income. Read more…
Warring States History The second part of the Zhou dynasty was known for incessant warfare between kingdoms. It was a time of great importance to China as the philosophical traditions were developed that went on to dominate Chinese thinking in the next two thousand years as it was the time of Confucius and Laozi. Read more…
The illustrious Ming dynasty History The most famous Chinese dynasty is the Ming dynasty . China emerged from the Mongol conquest to become pre-eminent nation, with the greatest wealth, population and foreign trade of any nation. It was during the Ming dynasty that China achieved many accomplishments: a vast fleet sailed the seas and made many discoveries and an encyclopedia of all knowledge was distilled into 11,000 chapters. Read more…
Kung Fu The famous Shaolin monastery in Henan is regarded as the origin of one particular form of Chinese martial art-form : Kung Fu. It was made famous in the 1970s with the 'Kung Fu' TV series and many Hong Kong films. Read more…
Foot binding History After the Han dynasty the custom of foot binding of girls from a very early age kept them house bound. The tradition lasted from the Sui to the Qing dynasty and was at times inflicted on half of all girls. It was seen as a badge of wealth of a household because it implied that the family was rich enough to not need women to carry out physical work. In poor areas the feet of women were not bound so they had to share the work of husbands in manual labor. Slightly richer families would have girls' feet bound and live out their lives indoors, bringing up the family. Read more…
4th May 1919 The Chinese reaction to the Versailles Treaty was the major turning point in modern Chinese history. Widespread student protests throughout the country led to a change in government policy and a refusal to sign the treaty. It was a nationalist movement calling for solidarity against foreign exploitation that was eventually to lead to a militarized Guomindang as well as the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party. Read more…
History Index Qing Dynasty - Taiping Rebellion - Coolies - Railways - Treaty ports - Lay - Osborn - Opium Wars - Ming Dynasty - Ming Tombs - Yuan Dynasty - Mongol Conquest - Song Dynasty - Five Dynasties - Tang Dynasty - Empress Wu Zetian - Eunuchs - Officials - Sui Dynasty - Period of Disunity - Han Dynasty - Qin Dynasty - Warring States - Spring and Autumn - Zhou Dynasty - Early Dynasties - Emperor - Eunuchs - Officials - Foot binding - Kowtow - Hanlin academy - Early British contacts - Europe contacts 18thC - Macartney mission - Leibniz - Chinoiserie - Money - Torture
