Author: Lukasz Kosowski Number of characters: 10884 Headline: The Ancient Dragon Sub-headline: The origins of Chinese civilization

In the last few decades The Asian Dragon has risen from po ert! to ta"e a leading role as one of the superpowers# influencing the future of the whole world$ %ut the histor! of &hina as an important nation began much earlier# as it is one of the oldest ci ili'ations$

(eneral Histor! The territory of contem orary China was always an attractive lace for human !eings" whose resence there reaches !ack a!out #00"000 years$ %arly neolithic societies" the &irect forerunners of Chinese civilization" &evelo e& aroun& '#00 ($C$" mainly &ue to a&vances in agriculture an& a favora!le location in the )angtze an& )ellow river valleys$ The !est known site from the neolithic erio& is most likely the village of (an o *now art of +i,an city-" where early inha!itants survive& thanks to hunting an& gathering$ .hat they coul& not eat they ke t in ceramic ots &ecorate& with various atterns$ Cloth was ma&e from cotton$ /ouses" !uilt in close ro0imity to each other" suggest 1uite tight family ties" an& the amount of arrowhea&s in&icates that the wea on of choice was the !ow an& arrow$ A huge achievement of that erio& was fin&ing a metho& to ro&uce silk$ Com licate& ways of !ree&ing silkworms were known in China in rehistoric times" an& were its secret for thousan&s of years u until the 2th century A$D$" when the technology was stolen an& smuggle& to the .est$ All the a!ove facts can !e roven thanks to archaeological &iscoveries" !ut the royal lines !efore 1200 ($C$ are !a&ly &ocumente& an& are almost mythical$ Three Dynasties 3 +ia" 4hang" 5hou 6 rule& ancient China !ut are consi&ere& to !e artly legen&ary" as 4hang *circa 1#7031080 ($C$- is known from few material fin&ings" an& only 5hou is &irectly known from chronicles$ 9onetheless it can !e sai& that the former" together with the :i&&le King&om" entere& the !ronze erio& with a !ang" esta!lishing tra&e connections with 9orthern an& :i&&le3eastern Asia" an& &evelo ing seven ur!an centers" which serve& as ca itals$ ;n the 11th century ($C$" the territory of the 4hangs was con1uere& !y the 5hous" who &i&n,t sto at that" e0 an&ing to take over lan&s aroun& the rivers )angtze an& )ellow$ During their reign" the territory of China was &ivi&e& into smaller king&oms" loosely connecte& in a system similar to me&ieval %uro ean feu&alism$ The erio&s of 4hang an& 5hou &omination were &ifferent from revious ones thanks to the use of !ronze" the resence of a olitical organisation" an& the a earance of strict social hierarchies$ These were the times of Laozi an& Confucius" an& the actual !irth of Chinese civilization$ 9evertheless" the en& of the 5hou &ynasty was !rutal an& inevita!le &ue to civil unrest in all arts of the country" which &ivi&e& China even further$ The 5hou<s fall marke& also the !eginning of the .arring 4tates erio&" an& centuries3long wars !etween owerful no!le families an& smaller states$ An historical &ocument" foun& on )i :ountain an& &ating from aroun& the year 71# ($C$" says= >:emora!le is the time of chaotic turmoil" when soil was &ivi&e&" an& se arate countries a eare&" which o ene& a chasm of struggles$ (attles an& aggression were ha ening every &ay" !loo& was floo&ing the lains" ?ust as in rehistoric times$ This went on until our %m eror ma&e the worl& one

family an& the military arm coul& rise no longer$> .hen the &ust on the !attlefiel&s finally settle& &own only one state was on to 6 @in" whose cam aigns against other Aking&omsB */an" 5hao" )an" .ei" Chu" @i- le& to the unification of the country" an& whose reign serve& as an ins iration for the generations that followe&$ )ing 5heng *7#C3710 ($C$-" ruler of the @in state" was the one who le& his country to victory$ ;n the year 771 ($C$ he roclaime& himself to !e The Dirst %m eror *4hi /uang&i-$ The state that he !uilt 6 5hongguo" also known as The :i&&le King&om" survive& u until the fall of the @ing &ynasty in 1C11$ The story of his rise to ower is fille& with e0traor&inary events in Chinese history an& en&eavors which are uni1ue" even in a glo!al conte0t$ /e hel& his osition not much more than 10 years" !ut in that time @in 4hi /uang&i manage& to ra&ically change the face of the whole nation$ /e restructure& the olitical an& sociological structure of the country" &estroying the feu&al system an& centralizing ower$ /e also co&ifie& the law" an& unifie& measuring an& writing systems$ To make communication more efficient he !uilt a vast network of roa&s an& even stan&ar&ize& the wi&th of wagons" so that they coul& move in the same trails$ Ene of such routes is now known as the Freat 4ilk Goa&$ ;t is ro!a!ly one of the !est known tra&ing roa&s in the worl&" which connecte& the .est an& the %ast" going through the !iggest em ires of its time= Goman" Hersian an& Chinese$ Due to economic an& cultural relations" foun&ations for a new form of coo eration" which to&ay woul& !e calle& glo!alization" were lai&$ (y the way" the :i&&le King&om is the !irth lace not only of silk" !ut also of a ermaking" ty ogra hy" gun ow&er" the earth1uake &etector" an& of the com ass 3 all of which were much later a&o te& !y the .est$ @in<s reign was not only fille& with achievements that raise& the :i&&le King&om u on the la&&er of civilization$ The Dirst %m eror also !urne& many of Confucius< works" seeing in them encouragement for the revious" feu&al" system$ /is great !uil&ing ro?ects le& to the &eath of thousan&s of eo le who were worke& to their very limits *on the other han& it was ro!a!ly the only way to rovi&e a useful occu ation to sol&iers" who were Aunem loye&B when the wars ha& en&e&-$ /is rule was harsh" an& after his &eath civil unrest !roke out once more *an& not for the last time-$ The :i&&le King&om survive& an& !lossome&$ The @in &ynasty was re lace& !y the /an &ynasty" whose reign was marke& !y the )ellow Tur!an Ge!ellion" an& officially en&e& in the year 770 A$D$ with a &ivision of the country into Three King&oms" starting a new era of artition$ This was the !eginning of recor&e& Chinese history$ During the almost two millennia that have asse& since the unification of the country un&er @in" the :i&&le King&om has witnesse& many incre&i!ly im ortant events= invasions !y foreign forces" re!ellions" an& &ays of great ros erity$ All of these took China &own the roa& to what it is to&ay$

)ife and traditions Tra&itional Chinese clothing" referre& to as hanfu" ha& many variations &e en&ing on the status of the wearer= the wealthier a erson was" the more colors were in his clothing" an& larger amounts of silk woul& !e use&$ Tra&itionally" re& was a sign of ha iness an& coul& not !e worn &uring !urial ceremonies$ Gice was the first foo& ever farme& in China" growing naturally$ ;n the 9orthern arts of China" where it was too col& to grow rice" roso millet an& sorghum were more o ular$ (oile& rice" !oile& millet" orri&ge an& tea were the main nutrients for the ancient Chinese$ Enly wealthy Chinese coul& affor& meat an& fruits$ (urial rituals were something s ecial for the Chinese" !ecause of the cult of ancestors$ ;t was sai&

that im ro er funeral arrangements coul& wreak ill fortune an& &isaster on the family of the &ecease&$ The ceremony is tra&itionally com licate& an& must !e &one to the last &etail even if the family must take on &e!t to meet all re1uirements$ ;t has several hases$ The first art is the wake *with the coffin lace& in the house if the erson &ie& in it or in the courtyar& if the erson &ie& outsi&e of the house- which shoul& last at least one &ay$ ;f the roa& to the ceremony crosses water" the &ecease& must !e informe& a!out that fact" otherwise the soul won,t !e a!le to cross it$ During the !urial" the el&est son must collect some earth from the grave which later will !e art of the ancestor<s shrine at home$ The last ste " calle& Athe return of the &ea&"B is to !e taken o tionally 3 seven &ays after &eath a re& la1ue might !e lace& outsi&e of the house for the soul to know where to go" an& not to get lost$ The mourning erio& lasts from 10 to 4C &ays$

&ulture and ideolog! .hen s eaking a!out the ancient Chinese an& their way of life" it is worth noting that Chinese society was rule& !y ers ectives on life which em hasize& inter&e en&ence in all its as ects$ ;t was structure& in accor&ance with the level of e&ucation" an& was also !ase& on the general ower an& wealth of articular families$ Damilies were *an& still are- the !asic unit of Chinese society" with a clear em hasis on !ringing u !oys an& men who" later on" woul& !ecome loyal citizens$ The father has always !een the most im ortant figure in the family" an& his osition was !ase& u on a mi0ture of love" fear" an& res ect for el&ers$ The :i&&le King&om was viewe& as one !ig family 3 with the %m eror in the role of a father" an& citizens as his chil&ren *now the ruling Harty is that main figure in Chinese society-$ 4 ecifics of thinking" an& the ara&igms in which Chinese eo le live&" can !e com are& to a religion$ (oth Taoism an& Confucianism are closer in .estern eyes to hiloso hical movements then actual religions$ Taoism is 3 as tra&ition hol&s 3 a system of thinking create& !y Laozi *2th century ($C$-" affirming that an i&eal life must !e live& accor&ing to Tao *The Goa&-" the one rule regulating the whole worl&$ 4ome of Taoism<s !ranches in&icate that its rinci al lies in constant !alancing !etween )in an& )ang" or goo& an& evil" an& in the influence of the Dive %lements$ Taoism was the main religion of The :i&&le King&om for many years" until it was re lace& !y the thoughts of Confucius$ /is &octrine" touching ethics" olitics an& general views on life an& the worl&" was create& !y the master himself an& his &isci les" almost at the same time that Laozi was s rea&ing his own thoughts$ Confucianism was &irecte& towar& rulers an& those fulfilling their will$ A;n a country well governe&" overty is something to !e ashame& of$ ;n a country !a&ly governe&" wealth is something to !e ashame& ofB 6 wrote Confucius$ This hiloso hy gaine& a large following &uring the reign of /an" when Confucius was raise& as a &ivinity$ ;t is 1uite &ifficult to tell the history of ancient China in such a limite& s ace$ Gea&ers who want to know more can fin& answers to their 1uestions in many &ifferent sources$ To start with" ; can suggest the following sites= htt =IIwww$chinaculture$orgI" htt =IIwww$cultural3china$comI" htt s=IIsites$google$comIsiteIwelcometoancientchinaI$ ;n&ee&" China has always !een an& still is a very !usy scene with many actors" an& the whole worl& is still watching the rise of the Ancient Dragon$