The first known dynasty in China, the Shang, ruled between 1600 BC to 1030 BC. They were replaced by the Chou until 771 BC when the system disintegrated into a hundred separate and warring political units. Coinage was introduced by 600 BC, if not before. It consisted of Knife money, spade money and round coins with square holes - perhaps representing the top bit of knife money, which had a hole for suspension. In all cases the coinage was cast, unlike most of the rest of the world which had struck coinage. The round coins retained a similar design right down to the 19th century (AD). Confucius taught between 551 and 479 BC.
Under the Ch'in dynasty (255 - 206 BC), a centralised state was achieved. The Great Wall of China was started in this period. It was intended to keep out Hun invaders. Invasion from the north was to be a theme throughout the history of China. After the Ch'in, China was mainly divided again, with many different dynasties in the ascendency at any given time. The Sui dynasty (581 - 617 AD) managed to reunify China. The T'ang dynasty (618 - 917 AD) continued their work reorganising the administration of the empire. This was the golden age of China. Barbarians to the north, in the form of Turks and Uighurs, continued to hammer on the gates and in 751 the Chinese were beaten by an Arab army. Following the T'ang, China once again split apart. The Sung dynasty (960 - 1279) managed to re-unite it again. Printing was invented in this period. In 1126, the Tatar Chin dynasty conquered northern China but between 1211 and 1234, they had been overrun by the Mongols. Under Kublai Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, the rest of China was swallowed up (Yuan dynasty 1271 - 1368). In 1368, the Mongols were ousted and the Ming dynasty began. |
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