All had their capitals at Jianye, present-day Nanjing. Six Dynasties is the collective term for the six successive Han-ruled dynasties during this turbulent period. Three Kingdoms (220-265), Jin Dynasty (265-420), Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589). Today, the Han Chinese make up the dominant ethnic group in China and the largest in the world. The name ‘Han’ was taken as the name of the Chinese people. China’s earliest written record on medicine, the Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Medicine, was codified. Under the Han dynasty, Confucianism, poetry and literature flowered. The Silk Road was opened up to connect to the west, bringing in trade, foreign cultures and the introduction of Buddhism. A central imperial civil service was established to create a strong and organised government.Ĭhina’s territory was extended to most of the China proper. The Han dynasty was known as a golden age in Chinese history, with a prolonged period of stability and prosperity. He was also responsible for building a city-sized mausoleum for himself, guarded by the life-sized Terracotta Army of more than 8,000 life-sized soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses. The Qin emperor was remembered for his ruthless megalomania and suppression of speech – in 213 BC he ordered the burning of hundreds of thousands of books and the live burial of 460 Confucian scholars. It saw the development of a standardised form of currency, a uniform system of writing and a legal code.
![song dynasty rulers song dynasty rulers](https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/Full/084/10512084.jpg)
During Qin Shi Huangdi’s reign, China was greatly expanded to cover the Ye lands of Hunan and Guangdong.Īlthough short-lived, the period saw ambitious public works projects including the unification of state walls into a single Great Wall. The Qin dynasty marked the beginning of the Chinese Empire. They were finally consolidated by Qin Shi Huangdi, a brutal ruler who became the first emperor of a unified China. The dynasty ended with the Warring States period (476–221 BC), in which various city-states battled each other, establishing themselves as independent feudal entities. The Zhous also developed the Mandate of Heaven – a concept that was used to justify the rule of kings, who had been blessed by the gods.
![song dynasty rulers song dynasty rulers](https://www.granger.com/wmpix/woh/mis/0604713-CHINA-Emperor-Zhengzong-Zhao-Heng-3rd-ruler-of-the-Northern-Song-Dynasty-r-997-1022-Full-credit-Pictures-from-History--Granger-NYC----All-rights-reserved.jpg)
The dynasty saw some of the greatest Chinese philosophers and poets: Lao-Tzu, Tao Chien, Confucius, Mencius, Mo Ti and the military strategist Sun-Tzu. Writing was codified, coinage was developed and chopsticks came into use.Ĭhinese philosophy blossomed with the birth of the philosophical schools of Confucianism, Taoism and Mohism. Under the Zhous, culture flourished and civilisation spread. The Zhou dynasty was the longest dynasty in the history of China, ruling the region for almost 8 centuries. They used a highly developed calendar system and an early form of modern Chinese language.
![song dynasty rulers song dynasty rulers](https://www.china-mike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Genghis-Khan-small.jpg)
Under the Shang dynasty, there were advances in maths, astronomy, art and military technology. 31 kings ruled much of the area along the Yellow River. The Shang dynasty is the earliest recorded Chinese dynasty supported by archaeological evidence. For this reason, some scholars believe it to be mythical or quasi-legendary.
![song dynasty rulers song dynasty rulers](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/02-chinesehistoryclassessongdynasty-110126160542-phpapp02/85/03-song-dynasty-outline-62-320.jpg)
It is not until the Zhou Dynasty, 554 years later, that we see written recordings of this first Chinese dynasty. Most scholars believe that stories about it were spoken, rather than written. There is a severe lack of documented evidence about this dynasty and therefore very little is known about the Xia period. 2123-2025 BC), known for developing a flood control technique that stopped the Great Flood that ravaged farmer’s crops for generations. It was founded by the legendary Yu the Great (c. The Xia dynasty was the first Chinese dynasty.
#Song dynasty rulers series
2070 BC to the abdication of its last emperor in 1912, China was ruled by a series of 13 successive dynasties. The history of China is generally presented according to the dynasty to which the period’s ancient rulers belonged.