HISTORY OF CHINA

China is the one of the areas where civilization developed the earliest. It has a recorded history of about 4,800 years. The
Chinese civilization originated in the regions along the Yellow River valley and Yangtze River valley, but the Yellow River valley
region is said to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. The Chinese history can be divided into four parts or eras; Prehistoric era,
Ancient era, Imperial era and the Modern era.
Chinese historical records reach back into the realm of legend, 5,000 years ago. It is impossible to cover even the major events of
this ancient culture in a short space, but the main highlights have been written below.
The first non-mythical dynasty to rule China was the Xia (2200- 1700 B.C.), founded by Emperor Yu. It was succeeded by the
Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.), and then the Zhou Dynasty (1122-256 B.C.). Historical records are scanty for these ancient
dynastic times.
In 221 B.C., Qin Shi Huang assumed the throne, conquered neighboring city-states, and unified China. He founded the Qin
Dynasty, which lasted only until 206 B.C. Today, he is best-known for his tomb complex in Xian, which houses the incredible Army
of Terracotta Warriors.
Qin Shi Huang's inept heir was overthrown by the army of commoner Liu Bang in 207 B.C. Liu then founded the Han Dynasty,
which lasted until 220 A.D. In the Han era, China expanded west as far as India, opening trade along what would later become the
Silk Road.
When the Han Empire collapsed in 220 A.D., China was thrown into a period of anarchy and turmoil. For the next four centuries,
dozens of kingdoms and fiefdoms competed for power. This era is called the "Three Kingdoms," after the three most powerful of
the rival realms (Wei, Shu, and Wu), but that is a gross simplification.
By 589 A.D., the Western branch of the Wei kings had accumulated enough wealth and power to defeat their rivals, and unite
China once more. The Sui Dynasty was founded by Wei general Yang Jian, and ruled until 618 A.D. It built the legal, governmental,
and societal framework for the powerful Tang Empire to follow.
The Tang Dynasty was founded by a general called Li Yuan, who had the Sui emperor assassinated. The Tang ruled from 618 to
907 A.D., and Chinese art and culture flourished. At the end of the Tang, China decended into chaos again in the "5 Dynasties and
10 Kingdoms" period.
In 959, a palace guard named Zhao Kuangyin took power and defeated the other small kingdoms. He established the Song
Dynasty (960-1279), known for its intricate bureaucracy and Confucian learning.
In 1271, the Mongolian Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis) established the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The Mongols subjugated
other ethnic groups including Han Chinese, and were overthrown by the Han Ming.China flowered again under the Ming (1368-
1644), creating great art and exploring as far as Africa.
The last Chinese dynasty, the Qing, ruled from 1644 to 1911, when it was overthrown by Sun Yat-Sen, touching off the Chinese
Civil War. Although the war was interrupted for a decade by the Japanese invasion and World War II, it picked up again once
Japan was defeated. Mao Zedong and the Communist Peoples Liberation Army won the Chinese Civil War, and China became the
Peoples' Republic of China in 1949. Chiang Kai Shek, leader of the losing Nationalist forces, fled to Taiwan.
Peoples Republic of China (1949 present): It was founded on October 1, 1949 after a near complete victory by the
Communist Party of China in the Chinese Civil War. Mao Zedong proclaimed the Peoples Republic of China from atop
Tiananmen. China experienced a Socialist transformation under Mao Zedong. He laid heavy emphasis on class struggle and
theoretical work. In 1953, he began various campaigns to suppress former landlords and and capitalists and as a result, Foreign
investment was largely wiped out. Mao believed that socialism would eventually triumph over all other ideologies. He began the
Cultural Revolution in May 1966. Red Guards terrorized the streets as many ordinary citizens were deemed counter-
revolutionaries. Education and public transportation came to a nearly complete halt during this period.
From 1976, there was a rise in the stature of Deng Xiaoping and his theory of economic reform. At the 3rd Plenum of the
11th CPC Congress, Deng embarked China on the road to Economic Reforms and Openness, policies that began with the de-
collectivization of the countryside, followed with industrial reforms aimed at decentralizing government controls in the industrial
sector. Deng championed the idea of Special Economic Zones, areas where foreign investment would be allowed to pour in
without strict government restraint and regulations. Supporters of the economic reforms point to the rapid development of the
consumer and export sectors of the economy. Creation of an urban middle class that now constitutes 15% of the population,
higher living standards and a much wider range of personal rights and freedoms for average Chinese as evidence of the success of
the reforms.
After Deng Xiaoping retired from public view, the third generation of leadership was led by Jiang Zemin, who was hailed as its
core. Jiangs macroeconomic reforms furthered Dengs vision for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. The Three Gorges
Dam was built, attracting supporters and widespread criticism. Two foreign colonies returned to China; Hong Kong from Britain in
1997, and Macau from Portugal in 1999.