4000 Years of History of Imperial China [ Full Documentary ]
Written records of the history of
China can be found from as early as 1500 BC under the
Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC).
Ancient historical texts such as the
Records of the Grand Historian (ca.
100 BC) and the
Bamboo Annals describe a
Xia dynasty (c. 2070–1600 BC), which had no system of writing on a durable medium, before the
Shang.
The Yellow River is said to be the cradle of
Chinese civilization, although cultures originated at various regional centers along both the
Yellow River and the
Yangtze River valleys millennia ago in the
Neolithic era. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations.
Much of
Chinese culture, literature and philosophy further developed during the
Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). The Zhou dynasty began to bow to external and internal pressures in the
8th century BC, and the kingdom eventually broke apart into smaller states, beginning in the
Spring and Autumn period and reaching full expression in the
Warring States period. This is one of multiple periods of failed statehood in
Chinese history, the most recent being the
Chinese Civil War that started in
1927.
Between eras of multiple kingdoms and warlordism,
Chinese dynasties have ruled parts or all of China; in some eras control stretched as far as
Xinjiang and
Tibet, as at present. In 221 BC
Qin Shi Huang united the various warring kingdoms and created for himself the title of "emperor" (huangdi) of the
Qin dynasty, marking the beginning of imperial China. Successive dynasties developed bureaucratic systems that enabled the emperor to control vast territories directly.
China's last dynasty was the
Qing (1644–1912), which was replaced by the
Republic of China in 1912, and in the mainland by the
People's Republic of China in 1949.
The conventional view of Chinese history is that of alternating periods of political unity and disunity, with China occasionally being dominated by steppe peoples, most of whom were in turn assimilated into the
Han Chinese population. Cultural and political influences from other parts of
Asia and the
Western world, carried by successive waves of immigration, expansion, foreign contact, and cultural assimilation are part of the modern culture of China.