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'''Chinese History''' is the story of China over the last 5000+ years. For the contemporary scense, see [[China]]

'''Chinese History''' is the story of China over the last 5000+ years. For the contemporary scene, see [[China]]

===Dynastic Period===

===Dynastic Period===

China is the oldest continuous major world civilization, with records dating back about 3,500 years. Stories and artifacts show the area was occupied about 5,000 years ago, but there is no verifiable tie-in to the nation now known as China. Successive dynasties developed a system of bureaucratic control that gave the agrarian-based Chinese an advantage over neighboring nomadic and hill cultures. Chinese civilization was further strengthened by the development of a Confucian state ideology and a common written language that bridged the gaps among the country's many local languages and dialects. Whenever China was conquered by nomadic tribes, as it was by the Mongols in the 13th century, the conquerors sooner or later adopted the ways of the "higher" Chinese civilization and staffed the bureaucracy with Chinese.  

China is the oldest continuous major world civilization, with records dating back about 3,500 years. Stories and artifacts show the area was occupied about 5,000 years ago, but there is no verifiable tie-in to the nation now known as China. Successive dynasties developed a system of bureaucratic control that gave the agrarian-based Chinese an advantage over neighboring nomadic and hill cultures. Chinese civilization was further strengthened by the development of a Confucian state ideology and a common written language that bridged the gaps among the country's many local languages and dialects. Whenever China was conquered by nomadic tribes, as it was by the Mongols in the 13th century, the conquerors sooner or later adopted the ways of the "higher" Chinese civilization and staffed the bureaucracy with Chinese.  

The discovery of silk from the silkworm occurred around 2700 BC. According to Chinese tradition the bride of (semi-mythical) Emperor Huang Di, a 14-year-old girl called Xi Lingshi, discovered silkworms. Sericulture, the cultivation of the silkworm to produce silk, spread through China, making silk a highly valued commodity. It was considered to be the domain of women; while men worked in the fields, women reared silkworms and tended mulberry plantations.  This is reflected in the modern Chinese character for the English meaning "tired", "累"，lei, which is a picture of a field - the work of men - above a picture of a coil of silk - the work of women.  

The discovery of silk from the silkworm occurred around 2700 BC. Sericulture, the cultivation of the silkworm to produce silk, spread through China, making silk a highly valued commodity. It was considered to be the domain of women; while men worked in the fields, women reared silkworms and tended mulberry plantations.  This is reflected in the modern Chinese character for the English meaning "tired", "累"，lei, which is a picture of a field - the work of men - above a picture of a coil of silk - the work of women.  

When the Chinese discovered gunpowder they had no intention of using it as a weapon; instead, it was developed in the Tang dynasty as a formula for immortality by religious Daoist (daojiao - 道教) alchemists.  It was discovered to be a powerful explosive, and when lit, gunpowder in a bamboo stick made a colorful explosion. This loud explosion was used to chase away evil spirits and to celebrate weddings, victories in battles, and religious ceremonies. However, contrary to popular belief, the first depiction of gunpowder in pictorial form shows it in military use.  Similarly, it is also known that before the arrival of Westerners in China, Chinese troops were equipped with firearms.  

When the Chinese discovered [[gunpowder]] they had no intention of using it as a weapon; instead, it was developed in the Tang dynasty as a formula for immortality by religious Daoist (daojiao - 道教) alchemists.  It was discovered to be a powerful explosive, and when lit, gunpowder in a bamboo stick made a colorful explosion. This loud explosion was used to chase away evil spirits and to celebrate weddings, victories in battles, and religious ceremonies. However, contrary to popular belief, the first depiction of gunpowder in pictorial form shows it in military use.  Similarly, it is also known that before the arrival of Westerners in China, Chinese troops were equipped with firearms.  

===Great Wall of China===

===Great Wall of China===