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 (click on time chart) 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 Mandate of Heaven Opium Wars Early contacts with Britain 18th century UK-China contacts Leibniz Treaty port system Chinoiserie Lay-Osborn debacle General Charles ‘Chinese’ Gordon Chinese coolies
Click on the time chart on the left to go to a particular time period.
Power and Prosperity during the Tang dynasty When the dynasties of China are brought to mind, the Han, Tang and Ming are generally considered the greatest. In the Tang dynasty China was undoubtedly the only world super-power with huge cities and great achievements. Tang poetry is considered the finest. Influence of China spread to Japan and far to the west reaching the Aral Sea and Pakistan. Read more…
Imperial officials The prized job in dynastic China was as an Imperial official. As well as prosperity and a life of relative leisure an official received respect from the community. As anyone who passed the Imperial examinations could hope for such an appointment the posts were potentially open to all men. Read more…
General 'Chinese' Gordon In a very unusual event in world history a British soldier served for the Qing dynasty in their fight against the Taiping rebels in southern China. He was instrumental in bringing modern military training to the Chinese armies and was renowned as an austere but brave and uncorruptible officer. Read more…
Proverb
念 念 不 忘
Niàn niàn bù wàng
Do not neglect your studies. Ponder on problems
Study hard. Keep thinking about a problem.
Roughly equivalent to: Where there's a will, there's a way.
All about Chinese proverbs
The illustrious Ming dynasty 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…
First British contacts with China A survey of all the first British contacts to China up until 1700. These included 'pirates' like John Weddell who sought to force China into trading with England down the barrel of a cannon and John Webb a committed fan of everything about China. Regrettably this honeymoon period of relations was not to last. Read more…
Qing dynasty The end of the dynastic system in China came after a very promising and prosperous start under the wise rule of the first four Manchu Emperors. Years of decline followed with the Opium Wars and Taiping Rebellion ending in the sad tale of the Emperor Puyi Read more…
Warring States 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 Qin Dynasty The brief spell of rule by the Qin (only 15 years) defined much of what we now about China. The brutal and centralized rule of Qin Shihuangdi set common standards for all sorts of things across his new vast empire including measurements and the Chinese script. Read more…
Chinese coolies 1845-1880 When African slavery was made illegal in the UK and US, employers turned to China for supply of labor. In some destinations the conditions were just as appalling as for the Africans. A technicality allowed employers to claim this was not slavery but Chinese were bought at markets and had little chance of returning home. This little known trade began in 1845 and lasted about 35 years before the Chinese and some foreign governments put a stop to it. Read more…
The 13 Ming Tombs The tombs of the 13 Ming Emperors is one of the largest and most lavish burial complexes anywhere in the world. Like the Valley of the Kings in Egypt the tombs are scattered around a valley of 17 square miles and only one tomb has been excavated and was found to be completely intact. Read more…
Understanding the Date and Time in Chinese Telling the date and time is essential for travelers. In China the Arabic numbers are used for writing but the Chinese characters are used for reading. Read more…
Fish for good fortune Fish (渔 余 yú means 'surplus; abundance' and so a picture of a fish is a wish for prosperity. They are often eaten at Chinese New Year partly as a symbol for a wish for abundance in the coming year. Read more…
