Xia Dynasty

4679 words 19 pages
Show More
The Xia Dynasty
Overview
There are ancient accounts about the history of a small kingdom along the Yellow River that existed from about 2,000 BC to 1,600 BC. The main ancient accounts are in the Records of the Grand Historian (史記) that were written between about 109 BC and 91 BC by Sima Qian and another textthat is called the Bamboo Annals (竹書紀年) that was a text that was said to have been buried with the King of Wei who died in 296 BC and was rediscovered in 281 AD during the Jin Dynasty. The text was written on flat pieces of bamboo, and this is why it is called the Bamboo Annals. Are these accounts accurate? It is said that the Xia Dynasty people didn't keep written records, but that their histories were passed orally. Archeologists …show more content…
Warfare activities were never an earnest impediment for international trade between the Tangut empire and its neighbors. There existed special frontiers markets (quechang 榷場, smaller markets called heshi 和市) to supply the needs of the own country and to export national products. A special kind of exchange of goods were the so-called tributary presents that the Western Xia presented to the mightier neighbors, either the Liao, Jin, or Song. In turn, the Xia embassadors and tradepeople obtained goods from China, like silk, gauze, incense and medicine, porcelain, lacquerware, ginger, and so on. Except of kettle and depending products like wool, fabric, felt, and leather, the Xia empire exported salt (later prohibited for Chinese import), jade, honey, rhubarb (daihuang 大黃), musk, and herbs. Although barter trade was common an wide areas, the Xia emperors had casted (not minted!) their own coins
神 (god) (of) 水 (water) 於 (Yu) 偉大的控制器 (the great controller)
Chinese civilization started around 10,000 BCE, when a group called the Yangshao (yahng show) settled near the Huang He River. Archaeologists have uncovered many Yangshao villages in northern China. In one village, they found the remains of farmhouses, built partly underground, with plaster floors, and roofs held up with wooden posts.
About 3,000 BCE, another farming group appeared, the Lungshan people. The Lungshan were very advanced for their time. They harvested

Related

  • Han China vs. Mauryan/Gupta India
    1143 words | 5 pages

    this created a more unified government system that was connected more directly to Chinese philosophy and economical practices. This idea of a central government was brought about when the concept of legalism was developed in China during the Qin Dynasty. In contrast, India created a bureaucracy allowing local rulers to maintain regional control. This concept of regionalism brought about political diversity in India. China was unified in relation to their ruler, code of law, and economical practices….

    Show More
  • Week 4 Hist 276
    2459 words | 10 pages

    multipage assignment; double-check that you completed each page before submitting. Part I: Fill in the Blanks Fill in the blanks to complete the following sentences. Ming-Dynasty China a. The population of China approximately doubled between the start of the Ming dynasty in 1368 and its collapse and replacement by the Manchus in 1415 in North China . This population increase, along with a reduction in government regulation, led….

    Show More
  • South China Sea Dispute
    10793 words | 44 pages

    (Chemillier-Gendreau, 2000, pp. 18-19) 1.2 China’s, Vietnam’s and United State’s History over the Islands The dispute between China and Vietnam over the claims of authority of these islands dates back to ancient time of the Yuan Dynasty of China and Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam which has continued on towards today. To begin with, both China and Vietnam have accounts of these islands in the ancient texts of their homelands. According to Chen (1987), “Each country has an important book and account….

    Show More
  • Dong Qichang, in the Shade of Summer Trees, 17th Century, Ming Dynasty
    1044 words | 5 pages

    Lindsay David Art History 6D 3 June 2008 Dong Qichang, In the Shade of Summer Trees, 17th century, Ming Dynasty This painting is from the Ming Dynasty, and very clearly depicts and captures the essence of The Southern School, or Literati painters. The first thing to note is the overall composition of the painting. First and foremost it is a landscape painting. The colors are very monochrome; the space is stretched to reveal a depth to the painting that the eye cannot capture; and there….

    Show More
  • Hst276 Week 4
    2255 words | 10 pages

    multipage assignment; double-check that you completed each page before submitting. Part I: Fill in the Blanks Fill in the blanks to complete the following sentences. Ming-Dynasty China a. The population of China approximately doubled between the start of the Ming dynasty in 1368 and its collapse and replacement by the Manchus in 1644 . This population increase, along with a reduction in government regulation, led to China’s 3rd Commercial Revolution….

    Show More
  • The Qing Dynasty
    1935 words | 8 pages

    A , Number 2 The Qing Dynasty, like all the Chinese Dynasties, began with an expectation of success. The Zhou Dynasty found such success within the “100 schools of thought”, while the Qin found success within trade and exploration which in the end, unified China (Russ). However, the Qing Dynasty found a different way to make their mark with the development of the Chinese Dictionary, forming Banner systems and population increase. Nevertheless, while all of the Dynasties strived for success, they….

    Show More
  • Country Note Book of China
    17075 words | 69 pages

    4,000 years. The imperial dynastic system of government, which continued for centuries, was established as early as 221 BC. Although specific dynasties were overturned, the dynastic system survived. China was even ruled at times by foreign invaders, such as the Mongols during the Yuan Dynasty, from AD 1279 to 1368, and the Manchus during the Ch'ing Dynasty, from AD 1644 to 1911, but the foreigners were largely absorbed into the culture they governed. It is as if the Roman Empire had lasted from the….

    Show More
  • China: Building "Capitalism with Socialist Characteristics"
    13720 words | 55 pages

    their mothers- in-law. Above the family level, peasant farmers grouped themselves into villages, which existed as nearly self-sufficient units. By 1120 B.C. the people of the Yellow River valley had gathered under the loose authority of the Zhou dynasty, a family of warrior priests who collected taxes and raised armies but otherwise stayed aloof from the life of the villages. Instead, the emperors and their bureaucrats devoted themselves to artistic and scholarly pursuits, nurturing a civilization….

    Show More
  • Chinese Essay Exam for Civil Service
    1138 words | 5 pages

    determine who among the population would be allowed to enter the state’s bureaucracy. The Imperial Examination System in China lasted from the founding during the Sui Dynasty in 605 to its demise near the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1905. These examinations lasted approximately 1300 years (Elman, 2002). From the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE) until the implementation of the Imperial Examination System, the majority of appointments were based on recommendations of prominent aristocrats….

    Show More
  • Buddhism Artwork Along Silk Road
    1958 words | 8 pages

    that stretched along the oasis near the Daquan River. From the fourth century AD until the Yuan Dynasty, this valley was a center for Buddhist pilgrims and many caves that were used as shrines in this time period had been carved from the gravel conglomerate of the slopes. From the time of the Northern Liang in the early fifth century, the caves were decorated with wall painting, and by the Tan dynasty, more than a thousand caves had been completed . The Caves of a Thousand Buddhas consisted of shrines….

    Show More

Popular Essays