L.O: Understand China’s timeline from the Qin Dynasty to present.

KEY WORDSDynasty, Confucianism, Philosophy,

Unification, Abdication, Republic, Communism, Innovation, Revolution.

Match the word and the meaning!

1. dynasty2. Confucianism3. philosophy4. unification5. nationalist6. Communism7. innovation8. revolution

a) Devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation.

b) The introduction of something new.c) the overthrow of a government by its

people d) A way of thinking about the world, society

and universe and how we behave as individuals in it.

e) A political way of thinking: no social classes, with common ownership of tools, factories, and farms that are used to produce goods and food.

f) The process of being united or made into a whole.

g) An ethical system and way of thinking developed by the philosopher ‘Confucius’.

h) A period of time when a country is ruled by people from the same family.

Shang Dynasty• The first Chinese dynasty for which clear

written evidence exists.• 1700-1046 BC.• A long period where China was a series

of independent states.• Kung Fu/other martial artsstarted to flourish.

Qin Shihuangdi unites China• Known as The First Emperor, Qin

Shihuangdi is ruthless in his quest to unify many independent states.

• He starts building ‘The Great Wall.’• He invents new political and monetary systems for the ‘united China’. • 221 – 206 BC.

Han Dynasty

• Golden age: China grows even stronger.• Growth in economy/money• Start of Confucianism as a state

philosophy.• 206-220 AD.

Opium Wars

• Also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars.• First Opium War: 1839 to 1842• Second Opium War: 1856 to 1860. • Disputes over trade and diplomatic relations

between China and the British Empire.• Chinese originally used opium for medicinal

purposes. British mixed it with tobacco – Chinese people widely addicted to it and became dependent on trading with Britain for it (sourced from East India Company).

Century of Humiliation• Immediately after the Opium Wars.• China weakened financially and

addiction was widespread.• Mass foreign invasion – Japan and

Imperialist Britain. • 1839-1949

Terracotta Warriors are discovered

• A farmer from near Xi’an tries to dig for a new well in 1974 and discovers a whole number of broken ancient terracotta figures.

• Protecting the tomb of Qinshihuangdi (1st Emperor of China)

Chinese writing system invented

• 1500 BC.• Chinese characters are one of the oldest writing

systems in the world.• The Chinese later invented the first printing

press.

Song Dynasty

• Weak militarily/politics.• But strong creatively – lots of inventions

and writing of popular literature.• 960-1279 AD.

Mongols conquer China

• ‘Outsiders’ Mongols establish their own Yuan dynasty founded by Kublai Khan.

• Marco Polo and other western travellers visit.• Beijing become capital of China.• 1271-1368 AD

Qing Dynasty – drive out Mongols

• Mongolia and Tibet become ‘annexes’ to China.

• 1644.

Mao & Communism• In 1949 Chairman Mao Zedong proclaims

the founding of the ‘People’s Republic of China’.

• China becomes a Communist country.• ‘Nationalists’ retreat to island of Taiwan

(and have stayed ever since).

Mao’s Cultural Revolution• 1966-76.• Ten-year political campaign/

social experiment aimed at purifying communists values.

• Mao Zedong and his wife, Jiang Qing led the revolution.

• Mao’s Red Guards carried out brutal attacks to remove "bourgeois“ influences.

• Millions were forced into manual labour, and tens of thousands were executed.

• Massive civil unrest.

One Child Policy

• After the cultural revolution, China’s government are worried that the population of China is spiralling out of control.

• They introduce a strict one child policy.• 2007 policy relaxed to just 36% of China.• 2013 announced – 2 children allowed if one

of parents is only child.

Hong Kong handed back to China• At the very end of the 1980s, China presses

the United Kingdom to handover Hong Kong.• UK had held Hong Kong since 1842 (end 1st

Opium War)• Mainly British education system.• Dual language signage remains ever since.

3 Gorges Dam complete

• Yangtze river.• After nearly 20 years in the making, the controversial

3 gorges dam is completed just 2 years before the Beijing Olympics.

• The 3 gorges dam flooded archaeological and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3 million people.

• A ship lift is now fully operational.

Beijing Hosts the Olympics

• Beijing become the hosts the Olympic games for the first time in China’s history.

• Next stop, London 2012.

China, a true Superpower

• China overtakes Japan as the 2nd largest economy in the world.

• It is closing the gap with the USA. • 2013.

Happy New Year 2014

• 31 January 2014. • It will be the Year of Horse.