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History of China

Human or protohuman occupation in what is now called China can be seen in archaeological evidence from 1.3 million years ago. The most famous specimen of humanity was named Peking Man and was discovered in 1923. Around 20,000 years ago, modern humans appeared in the Ordos desert region. At least 2000 years B.C., possibly even as long ago as 5000 B.C., there appeared a more uniform culture which spread all over the area now known as China. Although there is some lack of uniformity in the linguistics of the western regions of China, it seems to be due to a lack of control by a central government. Still, the advanced degree of civilization that is apparent among those tribal units seems equal to the civilizations in Europe, the Americas or the Middle East during the same time period. China is regarded as the oldest continuous major civilization in the world.

As successive dynasties developed and gained systematic control over the farming-based tribes, the steady agrarian communities proved stronger than most nomadic or hill tribe cultures which may attempt to gain control. The control of China is actually a series or cycle of warlords gaining control of the entirety of China only to be toppled after a time when their power became weak or when an event prompted a change in controlling warlords. The fact that the collection of similar tribes or city-states remained unified helped to produce a culture which was more advanced in the areas of art and science than in other areas of the world. Even when a nomadic group conquered China, the conquerors soon adopted the more refined Chinese culture and used the local Chinese people in their newly-established government. One of the traits which are consistent with the Chinese is their ability and willingness to absorb people of neighbouring communities into the Chinese culture.

• History of China
• Xia dynasty
• Shang dynasty
• Chou dynasty
• Quin dynasty
• Han dynasty
• Three Kingdoms Period (Jin dynasty,Sui dynasty,T'ang dynasty)
• Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms
• Sung dynasty
• Yuan dynasty
• Ming dynasty
• Qing dynasty
• Provisional Chinese Republic
• Chinese Communist Party of 1921
• Chiang Kai Shek Flees to Taiwan
• Chairman Mao
• Recent History - After Chairman Mao