Chinese History Overview

Ancient China

• The first recorded Chinese dynasty dates back to 2000 BCE.
• China was united as a single empire in 221 BCE.
• The Great Wall of China was built to protect the country from Mongol attacks.

Ming Dynasty

• The Ming Dynasty came to power in 1368 and ruled for 300 years until 1644.
• The first Ming emperor led a peasants' revolt that drove the Mongols out of China.
• Under the Ming Dynasty, China became politically, economically, and culturally strong.
• The Ming emperors were absolute rulers who governed through decrees carried out by officials.
• Officials, called mandarins, were chosen through a competitive examination system.
• The capital of the Ming empire was Beijing, which consisted of three cities built in a series of rings.

Beijing City Structure

• The inner city was the Forbidden City, where the emperor and his family lived in luxury.
• The Forbidden City featured beautiful palaces, gardens, and temples.
• The emperor was worshiped as the "Son of Heaven" and was never seen by ordinary people.
• Outside the Forbidden City was the walled Imperial City, where officials and guards lived.
• The Imperial City was surrounded by the Commercial City, where merchants, craftsmen, and ordinary working people lived.

European Contact

• The first recorded European visit to China was by Marco Polo in 1275.
• Marco Polo spent nearly 20 years in China and visited the court of Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan dynasty.
• His account of his travels introduced Europeans to the greatness of the Chinese empire.
• The Chinese had already invented printing, paper, and gunpowder centuries before Europeans did.
• They also had advanced navigational instruments.