KidZone History: China

Over the course of Chinese history, various dynasties have held power in small pockets of land and across a unified China. Some have been tyrannical and damaged China, others have overseen prosperous times. Below is a description of each dynasty and its place in history.

Xia

The Xia dynasty began with an abdication system that eventually turned into a hereditary one. The dynasty ended with the rule of emperor Jie, who cared little for his subjects and killed many of his advisors.

Shang

The Shang grew from a tribe that placed emphasis on agriculture and hand crafted items. It was in this dynasty that the commodity trade flourished.

Zhou

The Zhou dynasty was the first to completely unify China. Growing from tribal origins, the Zhou became increasingly powerful. During this period, economics, politics, science and culture flourished.

Qin

The Qin dynasty was the first power centralised state in Chinese history. The dynasty only lasted 15 years but has been remembered in history for a variety of things. Infrastructure and the economy were developed tremendously. Alongside this, writing was standardised, the construction of the Great Wall began and the famous terracotta warriors were created during this period.

Han

The Han dynasty was extremely progressive and some of the acheivements from this period can still be seen today. It was a world power and had unparalleled success compared to other nations at the same time.

Three Kingdoms

The period of the Three Kingdoms was full of power struggles and sophisticated military strategy. These resulted in various battles across the country of China.

Jin

The Jin dynasty once again unified China but this did not last long. Warlords were still strong from the battles during the Three Kingdom period. It was also during this period that Buddhism became increasingly popular.

Sui

The Sui dynasty was exceedingly short at only 38 years. Major advances were made in ship building, commerce and agriculture. Unfortunately, the second emperor of this dynasty was a classic tyrant and the empire became unstable as various groups rebelled.

Tang

The Tang dynasty was very successful and is unparalleled in terms of technological advances and prosperity. Despite this, the dynasty declined severely with age. A number of corrupt chancellors allowed large portions of Chinese society to fall into disrepair.

Five Dynasties Ten States

This was a period of intense upheval. Five dynasties occurred within fifty years alongside ten regional states from the previous military attachment of Tang. None of these states lasted more than seventy years.

Song

The Song dynasty was another golden age, prosperous in similar ways to the Tang. Typography and compasses were invented during this dynasty while significant advances were made in the science of gunpowder.

Liao

The Liao dynasty was founded by the ethnic minority Qidan in North East China. This was different to other dynasties which had a particular government. The Liao adopted slavery and feudal based systems depending on location.

Jin

This Jin dynasty was founded by the ethnic minority Nuzhen, a tribe that united others to gain power. The Jin adopted a feudal system that led to a well developed social economy.

Yuan

The Yuan dynasty sprouted from Mongolia. Genghis Khan originally ruled large swathes of China, but the Yuan did not officially begin until his grandson Kublai took power. Science, literature, agriculture and foreign relations prospered during this dynasty but it was eventually overturned by a rebel army.

Ming

The Ming dynasty began as China rid itself of Mongols. The capital city was moved to Beijing. Prosperity was abound and the first recorded encyclopaedia was created. The imperial palace at Beijing began construction. Corruption of officials, exploitation and natural disasters led to extreme hardship. Rebels eventually overran the ruling elite.

Qing

The Qing dynasty further strengthened central power in Beijing as well as on the edge of their empire in Tibet and Taiwan. The Golden Age of the three emperors was the most prosperous period. After this, social contradictions arose and the Qing dynasty began to decline. It was overthrown in 1911, ending 2000 years of feudal China.