
Chinese history: The Yangtze River, China
When did people first come to China?
Modern humans first came to China from Central Asia and/or India about 50,000 BC. These were Stone Age people, who lived in caves with their dogs and wore fur and leather. They hunted and gathered their food. Around 14,000 BC they started to make pottery jars. They were the first people in the world to make pottery.
By around 8000 BC, these people were starting to farm rice, and by 6000 BC they kept sheep and chickens.
More about Stone Age China
All our History of China articles
The Bronze Age in Chinese history
Soon after 3000 BC, people in China learned from Central Asian people how to use horses to pull wheeled chariots. By 2000 BC, Chinese people had entered the Bronze Age and had started to use writing. Soon afterwards, about 1800 BC, the Shang Dynasty conquered most of China and ruled it under one Emperor. From this point on, people measure most Chinese history in dynasties – one family of related rulers.
Writing in China
Shang Dynasty China
More about the Bronze Age

Zhou dynasty hunting scene, Luoyang (ca. 1000 BC)
The Iron Age in Chinese history
About 1100 BC, the Zhou dynasty conquered China. They learned to fight from horseback instead of from chariots. Then China’s army needed a lot more horses, and China started to trade more with Central Asia, selling silk cloth to get horses.
Zhou Dynasty China
Where do horses come from?
The history of silk
By about 700 BC, Chinese metal-workers learned to make iron tools and weapons. This was the time of Confucius. But beginning in 481 BC, China fell apart into many little Warring States that fought each other.
Who was Confucius?
What are the Warring States?

Map of Asia in the time of the Han Dynasty
Who built the Great Wall of China?
In 221 BC, the Qin dynasty succeeded in putting China back together again. They made China even bigger than it had ever been before, and they built the Great Wall of China.
More about the Great Wall
Qin Dynasty China
Han Dynasty China
But the Qin dynasty only lasted a short time before the Han dynasty took over in 202 BC. The Han dynasty was very successful. They traded along the Silk Road with the Sogdians, and bought things from as far away as the Parthians, the Roman Empire, and East Africa. They invaded India and brought back Buddhism to China. But by 220 AD, China had fallen apart again.
这是很好的
Thank you!
hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii my name is jeff whats yours
yo whats up dog i’m a future soundcloud rapper
yes
dosent help
What were you trying to find out? You can ask your question here.
this is very helpful i’m glad to find this website
Thanks!
why? posted 2 replies and they are not shown
All comments are moderated before they appear; we only post comments if they are both respectful and relevant.
Could you further explain the fall of the state of Zhao during the Warring states period? As well as the Song Dynasty and it’s emperors with the last name Zhao. Are they related?
Hi Anne,
Zhao was one of the seven states that ruled China during the Warring States period (https://quatr.us/china/eastern-zhou-dynasty-ancient-chinese-history.htm). Zhao was conquered by Qin and became part of Qin.
As you say, about a thousand years later, the founder of the Song Dynasty was a general named Zhao Kuangyin. I don’t know whether the names are related in any way, but I would doubt that they are directly related, because it’s almost unheard of historically for a family name to last a thousand years without dying out.
Many people believe they are related,for Song emperors‘ ancesters actually came from northern part of the country which used to be Zhao’s territory. But tnere is no evidence to prove descendents of the royal family of Zhao State,many common people of the state also have the same last name. Professor Car knew China not so well.Most Chinese family names have lasted thousands of years. You must have heard of Confucius? His family name is Kong,and his great great grandchildren still live in Shandong province today,nearly a hundred generations from his time,and they have a complete genealogy record of all the males of all generations of Kongs.
There is no evidence that the names are related, as you say. And even in China, family names do not last thousands of years, though of course many people may wish to believe that they do.
doesnt help with any studies not helpful
What were you trying to find out? I’d be happy to answer your questions.
nice…. helps studies
this does not help
What questions are you trying to answer? Maybe I can help.
Yasss这是很好的
Glad we could help! (It says, “This is very good”)