中国文化-夏商周历史(英文)ppt课件.ppt

ABriefIntroductiontotheHistoryofChinaThe YanEmperorvThe Yan Emperor,or Yandi,(Chinese:炎帝;pinyin:Yn d;literally:Flame Emperor)allegedly lived in China about 4,000 years ago.vAccording to a folk tale,Shennong was the first Chinese tribe.vThe Yan Emperor was a descendant of Shennong.Or,more likely,the term Flame Emperor was a title,held by dynastic succession,with Shennong,at least posthumously,being known as Yandi.YellowEmperorvHuang Di or the Yellow Emperor,is a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero presented in Chinese mythology.He is said to be the ancestorofall HuaxiaChinese.vAccording to many sources he was one of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.Tradition holds that he reigned from 26972597 BCE or 26962598 BCE.He is regarded as the founder of Chinese civilization.XiaDynasty(ca.2100-ca.1600BC)vThe Xia Dynasty of China(from ca.2100 BC to 1600 BC)is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records.vThe historian SimaQian(145-90 BC),who wrote the Shijior Records of the Grand Historian,and the so-called Bamboo Annals date the founding of the Xia Dynasty to 4,200 years ago.vAccording to mythology,the dynasty ended around 1600 BC as a consequence of the Battle of Mingtiao.YutheGreatvYutheGreat(大禹 D-Y),was the legendary founder of the Xia Dynasty that began in 2205 BCE.vHe is best remembered for teaching the people techniques to tame rivers and lakes during an epic flood.vThe Xia era would also go down as the first dynasty in what would later become China with his son Qi following after his reign.Yu is one of the few Chinese ruler posthumously honored with the appellation the Great.ShangDynasty(ca.1700-1046BC)vShang Dynasty was divided intotwo sets:v1.The first set,f rom the earlier Shang period comes from sources at Erligang,Zhengzhou and Shangcheng.v2.The second set,from the later Shang or Yin(殷殷)period,consists of a large body of oracle bone writings.v The Shang Dynasty featured 31 kings,from TangofShang to KingZhouofShang.vthe Chinese worshipped many different gods-weather gods and sky gods-and also a supreme god,named Shangdi,who ruled over the other gods.vAround 1500 BC,the Chinese began to use written oracle bones to predict the future.vShang Dynasty moved its capital six times.The final(and most important)move to Yin in 1350 BC led to the dynastys golden age.vThe skills of making bronze work was developing fast.ZhouDynasty(1066-256BC)vThe Zhou Dynasty was the longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history,from 1066 BC to approximately 256 BC.vThe ruler of the Zhou,King Wu,with the assistance of his brother,the Duke of Zhou,as regent,managed to defeat the Shang at the Battle of Muye.vThe king of Zhou at this time invoked the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to legitimize his rule.-WesternZhou(1066-771BC)EasternZhou(770-256BC):SpringandAutumnPeriod(722-476BC),WarringStatesPeriod(476-221BC)WesternZhouvKing Wu founded the system of enfeoffment(of the Western Zhou Dynasty,c.11 th.century-771 B.C.,investing the nobility with hereditary titles,territories and slaves);enfeoffment system;feudal system of land-holding.v Founded the feudalandpatriarchalclansystem.v Founded the etiquette and politeness system.