Ancient China

The Library of Congress Researchers have put together a very sizeable list of links to facts about the country of China. This volume deals with the Republic of China, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors.

Take a look at this site for a quick history of China. Condensed China: Chinese History for Beginners. Condensed China offers a lively, quirky, and interesting take on the events, trends, and accomplishments of China's past four thousand years. Starting from the Xia Dynasty, more than two thousand years before Christ, and moving up to today, the site touches on topics ranging from the development of Daoism to the handover of Hong Kong.

If you need an easy to use linear-format timeline, then this will be useful for you. Fu Xi or Fu Hsi, 1st of the Three Emperors Fu Xi or Fu Hsi of the San Huang Dynasty, was the first of the mythical Three Sovereigns of ancient China. He is a culture hero reputed to be the inventor of writing, fishing, and trapping.

This web page is long and you have to do alot of scrolling but it does contain information in a user-friendly format. The History Of China, as documented in ancient writings, dates back some 3,300 years. Modern archaeological studies provide evidence of still more ancient origins in a culture that flourished between 2500 and 2000 B.C.

The British Museum has put together an interactive site dealing with Early Imperial China. Many topics such as education and filial piety are explored.

*The Silk Road story is interesting in considering the concept for the Depth Study.

Sericulture or silk production has a long and colorful history unknown to most people. For centuries the West knew very little about silk and the people who made it. Pliny, the Roman historian, wrote in his Natural History in 70 BC "Silk was obtained by removing the down from the leaves with the help of water".

There are activities and maps associated with this virtual lab which makes studying The Silk Road interactive and engaging.

This video is of 44 minutes duration and is a visual journey through aspects of warfare throughout ancient Chinese history.

I found this a very easy to navigate site with the links An online project for museum visitors, teachers, students, and everyone interested in Asian art, culture, and history featuring objects from The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' permanent collection.