History of China

The Emperors
The Chinese people have the longest history in the world. There are records that tell us that Chinese writing is over 4000 years old! The country of China began over 2000 years ago. The different kingdoms of the area were united under one emperor. The United States is only 225 years old!

The first emperor, Ch’in, brought seven different parts of China together. He decided to call the country he created China. It has had that name ever since.

Emperor Chin made a law that everyone had to use the same kind of money. They could pay for things more easily. They had to learn one common language. This meant that they could talk to each other. China became unified, one country.

The emperor also began building the Great Wall of China. He even had an army of clay soldiers built for him. The clay soldiers protect the place where he is buried. These soldiers, known as the “Terracotta Warriors,” are very famous. People from around the world go to Xi’an, where the emperor is buried, to see them. You can find more information on them at:
http://www.chinavista.com/travel/terracotta/warrior01.html

Since Emperor Chin, China has had many rulers. Most often the rule was handed down from father to son. When a new family came into power they changed many things in China. The period of time that a family ruled was called a Dynasty. Each dynasty was unique and brought about new things for the people of China. Eventually their ideas and inventions went out to people around the world.

Many Inventions
China is known for inventing many things. Some of these things are:

• lunar calendar (a calendar that is based on the moon)
• wheelbarrows
• locks to control water levels in streams and canals
• compasses
• paper
• fireworks
• encyclopedias
• china

The Forbidden City
Many of the dynasties lived in Beijing, the capital of China. The place where the emperor and his family lived is still surrounded by a wall. It was called the Forbidden City.

No one was allowed to look at the emperor. When he traveled he would be in a carriage that had dark curtains all around it. People would have to bow to the ground when he passed. Now thousands of people visit the Forbidden City, just to see what it might have been like to live then. For a tour see: http://www.chinavista.com/beijing/gugong/!start.html

Click here for A model of a building from the Forbidden City that you can make for your presentation.

The Chinese Revolution
The last dynasty ended with a revolution, much like the one we had in America in 1775. The people felt the emperors did not take good care of them. They fought to make a government that would be better. The Chinese revolution was in 1949. A man, Mao Zedong, created a new government and called it The People’s Republic of China. It is still called that today.

You should have answered question 3 and be making the model for question 4 for your press conference.