Shocking facts about ancient China
The use of chopsticks -
Chopsticks were first used in China for cooking, not eating. They were invented during China's Neolithic era.
The dragon - Chinese emperors called themselves sons of dragons, meaning they were born with power to rule the country.
Porcelain in ancient China -
The term "china" is sometimes used for porcelain because China was, for a while, the only source for porcelain in the West.
Paper was invented in China -
Papermaking was invented in China. Before its invention, the Chinese transcribed characters on tree bark, scrolls, cloth, bronzeware, and bamboo.
Religions in ancient China -
The ancient Chinese had three doctrines: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Christianity and Islam arrived only in the 7th century.
Before soccer came cuju -
Cuju was an ancient version of soccer, invented during the Han dynasty.
Concubines of the dynasty -
Concubines were legal and normal in ancient China. Many men would have a main wife along with many concubines. The emperor had the most.
Farmers were in the majority -
Farmers were in the majority, with only a small percentage being merchants, government officials, scholars, and rulers.
Female ruler Wu Zetian -
One of the most famous women in Chinese history was Wu Zetian, the only female emperor.
The Great Wall of China -
The Great Wall of China was first built as a defensive barrier during the Warring States period between 475 and 221 BCE.
Popular garments -
Ancient Chinese clothes were the symbols of prestige and the embodiment of culture, and essential to show social status.
Unifying the fonts -
In ancient times, there were various dialects in China, but the Chinese writing system has been the same since Qin Shihuang unified the fonts.
Horses were important -
Horses were the most important means of transport and were usually used in the army.
The phoenix -
The antithesis of the dragon is the phoenix, representing feminine power. Both creatures are auspicious in Chinese culture.
Sun Tzu's battle strategies are still used today - 'The Art of War' is a famous book on battle strategy written by military strategist Sun Tzu.
The discovery of silk -
According to legend, silk was discovered in the emperor's garden in 2700 BCE by Hsi-Ling-Shi. She was the wife of Emperor Huang-Ti.
The Zhou dynasty was China’s longest dynasty - The Zhou dynasty is the longest dynasty in Chinese history, lasting from 1046 to 256 BCE. That's an impressive length of 790 years.
China had a Bronze Age -
The Shang and Zhou dynasties are known as the Bronze Age of China.