CHINESE HITORY

1. The other name for the Shang dynasty. Yin Dynasty (as it changed several times,
and finally settled in Yin, today’s Anyang in Henan Province)
2. Eastern Zhou is divided by historians into the Spring and Autumn Period and
Warring States Period
3. It was in the Warring States Period that the foundations were laid for feudalism
and the forthcoming unification of China under the Qin Dynasty.
4. The Peking Man site at Zhoukoudian
5. China so far ranks first in the number of human fossils and cultural site dating
from the Paleolithic Period, among which there were traces of
Yuanmou Man – (1965) archeologists found two ancient human teeth and
some rough stone tools in Yuanmou, Yunnan Province.
Peking Man – (1929) human skulls were found in caves on Mount Longgu
in Zhoukoudian, in southern Beijing.
Upper Cave Man – (1930) found in the caves near the top of Mount Longgu
in Zhoukoudian. The appearance would have been almost the same as that of
the modern man. The chipped stone tools shows that he had already mastered
grinding and drilling techniques.
6. The three legendary kings in China. Sui Ren, Fu Xi, Shennong
7. Chinese people often refer to themselves as “decendants of Yandi and Huangdi”.
8. To the east of the Yellow River valley was the territory of the Jiuli tribe, with
Chiyou as its chieftain. It is said that the Jiuli tribe already had bronze weapons,
and were a warlike group.
9. Legend has it that Jiuli attacked Yandi’s tribe . The latter was defeated, and
turned to Huangdi for help. Huangdi allied himself with Yandi, and defeated
Chiyou at a place called Zhuolu ( in today’s Hebei Province).
10.The Huaxia people were the predecessor of the Han people and the principal part
of the Chinese nation.
11.Yu the Great was the chieftain of the legendary Xiahou clan. He wa orinally called
Yu or Xiayu
12.According to legend, the Yellow River flooded during the reign of Emperor Yao,
and the people were forced to abandon their villages.
13.Emperor Yao, ,the chieftain of the Yan – Huang tribal alliance, appointed Gun to
harness the flood.
14.Yu the Great – Gun ‘s son is to continue with the flood-harnessing work. Yu
adopted the dredging method to lead the flood waters to flow along river courses
into the sea. Yu worked so hard that he passed his home three times, but did not
enter until his task was completed.
15.Yu established the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in Chinese history. After Yu’s
death, his son Qi succeeded to the throne. Crushing an attempt to overthrow him
by the Youhu clan, established the system of hereditary rules.
16.Jie, was the last king of the Xia Dynasty that lasted over 400 years. Ancient
records as a tyrant, was overthrown by the leader of the kingdom of Shang on
the lower reaches of the Yellow River in 1,600BC.
17.In 1952, archeologists discovered the locations of Xia palaces and many other
Xia relics in Erlitou Village, Dengfeng Country, Henan Province. Sites of the same
type of Bronze Age culture, collectively called Eritou culture, were found in other
places later.
18.The last monarch of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou, is said to have been a cruel
despot who neglected state affairs and abandoned himself to sensuous
pleasures.
19.A vassal kingdom of the Shang Dynasty called Zhou (a different Chinese
character from that used as the name of King Zhou) was growing powerful in the
Weishui River valley.
20.The king of Zhou, named Wen, was an able and enlightened administrator who
valued agriculture and made good use of talented people. Assisted by his able
prime minister, Lu Shang ( also known as Jiang Taigong). King Wen made his
realm rich and powerful.
21.King Wu, son of King Wen came to throne and was assisted by Lu Shang and his
own uncle Duke Zhou, led an alliance of tribes against the tottering Shang
Dynasty and toppled King Zhou at the Battle of Muye ( in today’s Hennan
Province).
22.Jiang Taigong was an ambitious man of the Lu clan. The phrase “ Jiang Taigang’s
going fishing” means that something is volunteering to do something.
23.The rock with an indentation, which many believe was made when Jiang Taigong
sat fishing.
24.The history of the years from 770 BC to 476 BC is recorded in ancient document
known as The Spring and Autumn Annals, hence the name “ Spring and Autumn
Period. “
25.Some historians rank the “ five powers” as Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin,
King Zhuang of Chu, King Helu of Wu and King Goujian of Yue.
26.Qi was a rich state in what is now Shandong Province.
27.Retreating 90 Li, as a mark of gratitude to King Cheng of the State of Chu, who
had harbored him for 19 years after he had been expelled from his own state.
Duke Wen of Jin withdrew his troops 90 li ( one li is equal to ½ km) when he
found himself in alliance against Chu. The phrase later came to be used to mean
showing forbearance.
28. The bronze pot incised with scenes of a battle on both water and land. (Warring
States Period)
29.By the time of the Warring States Period, only seven vassal states remained, the
rest having been absorbed by Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and Qin. The
“seven powers of the Warring States Period”.
30. Sun Bin’s Art of War, This classic of military science was written by Sun Bin, and
his pupils during the Warring States Period. “The Battle of Maling” and
“Besieging Wei and Saving Zhao” are examples of the military strategy
enshrined in Sun Bin’s Art of War.