Cultural Changes In Ancient China

Before the creation of the Silk Road and the Grand Canal, The people in China lived in economical and cultural isolation from other countries because of China 's physical

China has changed in certain ways and remained the same in others from the early Golden Ages to the late 1900s. China has experienced a series of cultural and political transformations, shaping the lives of many Chinese citizens. Culturally, the country’s art and literature hardly changed for almost eight hundred years. Along with their culture, China remained politically the same from the beginning of the Golden Ages all the way until the 1800s. On the other hand, China’s government and society were restructured after new leaders took over. From a monarch to total communism, China’s society had a multitude of new ideas and policies they had to adapt to.

New agricultural techniques, porcelain, metallurgy, printing, and naval technology were few of the technological elements that reinforced the established features of social order. New agricultural techniques helped in the expand of their agricultural potential, the dynasties gained reputation from porcelain technology which moderately diffused to other societies producing porcelain in large quantities, metallurgical techniques as well diffused to lands beyond China, printing produced texts quickly and popular works appeared in huge quantities, and naval technology included of the magnetic compass which soon became common for mariners to use. Population growth, patriarchal social structures, and gunpowder were technological elements reinforcing established features of political order. Population growth reflected the capacity of economy and distribution of food, patriarchal social structures included of concern to preserve family fortunes and foot binding, and gunpowder was an element used for military effectiveness. These aspects provided a fundamental change in traditions because they changed their whole concepts of how to use goods as in previous Chinese eras.

China had a prosperous economy based on technological and industrial development and long-distance trade. China raised taxes and confiscated the land of wealthy individuals. Iron metallurgy in China was high. Iron was used domestically

The early agricultural societies of China was one of the most advanced cultures of that time. The effect that China had on the history of the world is phenomenal and its history is just as impressive. There were many technological and sociological innovations that made early China as advanced as it was. One of the reasons for its quick success was its environment.

From what I learned, goods importing really changed Chinese history. People refer the “Columbian Exchange” as the global flow of human, plants, animals and microorganisms. This exchange also has huge impact for China, when Europeans landed in the Philippines in 1570s, they brought silver from Africa and eventually silver become the important currency in Ming Dynasty in China. After that, more and more silver flow into China and in return silk, china and other commodities transported to Mexico. Except silver, there are three crops imported from America played a key role in the history of China, which are potatoes, sweet potatoes and corns. These crops don't rely on rich soils, due to this advantage; millions of Chinese start to grow them. On the other hands, these goods also responsible for some negative consequences. Ming Dynasty declined and fall due to the over-rely on silver and later on Qing Dynasty feed large population of people credit to corn and potatoes, but decline also because of the huge population and water and soil

During the Tang Dynasty they acquired an excellent transportation and communication network. They brought inns, postal stations and stables through their routes to provide convenience to their travelers. The Tang Dynasty also came up with distribution of land by equal-field system. This allowed families who lost their land during the Han Dynasty to get some back. A fifth of the land went back to the families and their blood line while the rest became property that could be resold when the owner needed to sell them. Their military forces were also stretched throughout the land to keep order through the land. When China went into Vietnam they brought a new crop back to their land. Rice grew quickly allowing an increase of food supply. They improved iron plows using oxen and water buffalos to prepare the land. They also organized an irrigation system that made farming easier with the rough terrain. The Tang Dynasty invented porcelain, gun powder, printing capabilities, naval technology, paper and improved metal. The market economy also played a big role. Restaurants, noodle shops, taverns, tea houses, brothels, music halls, theaters, club houses, gardens, markets, craft shops and specialty shops added to the appeal of China. The result of led to an explosion of the population. During the Han Dynasty China’s population was 45 million and rose to 115 million by the Song Dynasty.

China’s population was getting bigger by the day, they had much success in everything they did but they did have some economic problems just like any other

Technology help improve life in China. The carollar harness for horses was one such creation, “This invention allowed horse to pull much heavier load than did the harness being used in Europe at the time. The Chinese perfected a plow more efficient because it had two blades. They also improved iron tools, invented the wheelbarrow, and began to use water mills to grind grain” (Chapter 7). All of these discoveries helped Chinese produce and farm more easily than before, so they could feed the growing population.

Ancient Chinese civilization can be marked back to the Xia and Shang dynasties. Existing before were agricultural communities; people fished, raised livestock, hunted, and gathered. They grew millet (malted into beer) where water and field were available. They knitted, spun threads into cloth, created things, art. They lived in pit homes, forming villages. Villages grew, and the North China Plain grew with it into an extensive area with a solid population, possibly due to associative efforts for flood management and irrigation. These early agricultural communities constituted the basis for oncoming dynasties. Food production above those of subsistence farming encouraged plunder and conquest. Comparable to West Asia, kings of conquest emerged

Throughout the mid to late 1900s China went through a major change. They went from capitalism to communism under the direction of Mao Zedong. Mao instituted quite a few domestic policies in hopes to ameliorate China. Through the Great Leap Forward coupled with the Cultural Revolution there had been numerous failures and little success. Mao was the source of pain and suffering. His communistic ideas destroyed the moral, and the modernization of China.

Ancient Chinese people fished in the many rivers, but later farming became very important to them. They farmed along three rivers, the Huang He, Chang Jiang, and the Yangtze river where the soil was very rich. (Lambert 16). Farmers worked for the aristocrats growing wheat and millet in the north, and rice in the south (Lambert 14, Spielvogel 282). Everything was done by hand including the planting and irrigation. The farmers also raised mule, ox, pigs, chicken, sheep, and cattle (Lambert

As with all oracular processes, chance remains a pivotal aspect of divining the future. The use of divination in the context of Ancient China is a way of explaining the unknown. Known in the Western sphere as The Book of Changes, the Yijing/I Ching–conversely known as Zhouyi–is a document that was incepted during the Bronze Age for the purposes of divination. The contents of the Yijing holds “sixty-four short chapters, each consisting of three elements: a hexagram, a hexagram statement, and six line statements. The hexagrams are drawings of six parallel lines, some whole and some broken. The two kind of statements…explain the mantic value of each hexagram and each line.” The creation of the hexagrams were attributed to Fuxi, a ruler

In accordance to this, China went on a construction binge. Whole factories were purchased from abroad while others were built with local resources. By 1978, the frenzy for new projects reached a level that reminded some people of the Great Leap Forward. In an effort to promote agricultural production, the government released many of the restrictions on the 'spontaneous capitalist tendencies' of the peasantry. (173) In the late 1980's, the government decided to expand the scope of private marketing. The next step was to increase the amount land assigned to the peasants. The peasants were now not responsible to the government for the use they made to the private plots. They simply could grow what they wished, for the sale to the government or to private markets. This led to furious rebuilding and inflow of foreign investments. All this enabled China to remake itself into Asian's hub of finance, trade and culture.

China is one of the oldest civilization’s still around to this day. The Chinese culture has been around with records over 4000 years old. During its time, it has been both Democratic party and a Communist party, and is still to this day is a Communist party. While the Communist party has adopted aspects of capitalism, and over the years has relinquished some control. The Chinese culture is very different from that of America, as the Chinese government still has strict control over speech, assembly and belief overall affecting their culture. Culture includes religion, food, style, language, marriage, morals, military and many other things that make up how a country or group can act.