Free Essays on Chinese Dynasties to Get Inspired & Learn by Example

A Nation as opposed to an Empire

The Chinese nation identity was in the past marked by distinctive ethic practices and customs in the Chinese culture. These practices involved binding the feet of their daughters, celebration of the lunar New Year and braiding of hair into a long plait or queue which was a Manchu innovation in the Qing dynasty rule over China. In the past the concept of nationalism in Ancient China was seen as a way of integration and inculcation of customs and values practiced by the elite in the Qing government bureaucracy over the large diverse population in China. Nationalism was more focused Continue reading...

The development of agriculture has resulted in the rise of more complex societies based on the division of labor, social differentiation, militarization and establishment of fundamental cultural and religious traditions. The period between 500 B.C.E. and 500 C.E. marked the evolution of classical societies in Persia, China, India and the Mediterranean basin.

THE EMPIRES OF PERSIA

The arid land of Iran has become the cradle of the Persian civilization that was based on the achievements of early Mesopotamian society. During the millennium the territory of Persian Empire was ruled by four different dynasties – the Achaemenids (558-330 B.C.E.), the Seleucids (323-83 B.C.E.), the Parthians ( Continue reading...

The history of China is marked with significant practices and artifacts that have enabled scholars to trace the origins of the modern political, economic, social, and cultural factors surrounding the modern people’s republic of China. The discovery of the archeological facts such as the tomb of the first emperor of China Shi Huangdi and the Terracotta army dating back to over two thousand years have particularly given a new interest in exploring and discovering the history of Chinese rulers who had helped the country acquire the modern from of political leadership. This paper therefore, gives a detailed history Continue reading...

Assignment #2: Prospectus

The first Sino- Japanese war: Causes and consequences
The first Sino-Japanese war was fought between the years 1894 and 1895. The Qing dynasty in China and the Meiji Japan fought over control of Korea and Japan emerged victorious. Not only was the Qing dynasty defeated, Japan’s victory brought out the weakness in the Chinese military and also established Japan as the regional power of that era. As a result of the defeat China made sweeping changes and westernized its military power. An analysis of this war is important as this would lay the basis for the future wars Continue reading...

Commissioner Lin implored for the Opium trade to be halted because Opium harmed Chinese society as a whole by reducing their productivity level as a result of addiction an escalating mortality rates. Official diplomatic ties between England and China commenced in 1793 when Lord McCartney led a British delegation to China in order to converse with the Chinese emperor. The result of that meeting was an increase in commercial trade, although commercial relations between the two countries soured when the British replaced paying in monetary currency with payment in kind, most notably, in opium. The Chinese Empire under the Continue reading...

Zhang Changshou. 2000. A Comparative Study of the Ding Bronze Vessels from Xin'gan.
This study by Zhang Changshou entails a comparative analysis of the ding bronze vessels from the Central Plains with those from Xin’gan in Southern China. This is after the discovery of numerous vessels and objects in a large tomb in Xin’gan in Dayangzhou, Jiangxi Province during 1989. Some of the equipment that was discovered included pottery, weapons, bronze tools and jades. A large percentage of the ding vessels discovered were made of bronze giving an indication of the huge significance of Xin’gan bonze Continue reading...

Introduction

The article discusses the archaeology of China and the conclusions drawn from the archaeology. Special emphasis is given to the Sanxingdui and Anyang archaeological sites and their roles in the Chinese civilization. The two areas are similar interms of the artifacts found such as the tools, living structures and burial structures. The document also does a comparison of the two sites. In addition to that, the agricultural practices of the ancient people is discussed with emphasis on the adoption of agriculture and the domestication of crops such as rice ans millet. the high population of the country, China ranks Continue reading...

Zhang Daqian was one of the most accomplished Chinese ink painters in history, the reviver of splash ink-and-color painting, and served as inspiration to a younger generation of ink painters (Onians, 307). Zhang’s contribution to art made him one of the most distinguished Chinese artists in history. He is known for “his power to produce paintings that were often huge in scale and conception and bold in their handling of ink and color” (Sullivan & Murphy, 19). Although Zhang was involved in several forgeries as an art collector, his skill as an artist was unparalleled. He is well respected Continue reading...

Forewords

China’s history is an interesting one that represents one of the greatest civilizations in the world. It constitutes a lot of dynasties comprising monarchical rules that helped in shaping Chinese culture and heritage today. The temple of heaven is probably one of the most significant artifacts and structures that bear great historical significant not only in China but also in the world today. This structure is of great importance because it tells a lot about the ancient Chinese and the culture of the people. It represents a Chinese way of worship, their respect of deities and piety. This Continue reading...

Chinese art that represents capitalist consumption brings to mind two concepts: appropriation and authenticity. Appropriation and art has had a long history. The Romans copied the Greeks, and the Greeks copied the Egyptians. So too, in our modern globalized world we copy each other and in the process we ask “Who Am I?” and thus authenticity and art become intertwined. In this exhibition themes of appropriation and authenticity play themselves out in the works of Chinese artists Ai Wei Wei, Tamen, and Liu Bolin. Ai Wei Wei challenges us to reconsider what is authentic and what is consumerism. Liu Continue reading...

Introduction

The form of this essay is directed at several views and facts that Riverbank is a fabricated picture. Several scholars have addressed the issue of Riverbank authenticity. The main material that one is expected to read is the article by James Cahill’s article entitled “The Case against Riverbank. The second article one to read is Maxwell Hearn’s piece entitled, “A Comparative Physical Analysis of Riverbank and Two Zhang Daqian Forgeries. The comparative analysis helps one in building an argument on the art and reading other people’s view of the picture. One can choose from the varsity Continue reading...

Jade in Bronze in the Bronze Era

Introduction
Jade is an ornamental rock; it applies to the two categories of a type of rock called metamorphic which is made up of different silicate minerals. The two minerals are Nephrite and Jadeite.
Bronze Age refers to that period which was characterized by the use of bronze and other early features of urban civilization. The bronze was classified by Christian Jurgensen at the second time of the three age stone bronze iron system. The ancient culture was defined to be in the Bronze Age. Bronze Age culture was different in their development of the first writing. Bronze Age Continue reading...

The Tributary System

It is said that ancient tributary systems first evolved between the years 3000-300 BCE. Empires, kingdoms and tribes were said to be linked to one another because of commercial and economic reasons, and so these tributary systems were actually market-driven. Among the features that characterized ancient tributary systems were political domination, strong social inequality, warfare and slave labor. The first tributary systems first arose in the Fertile Crescent area. As the individuals there transitioned from being hunter-gatherers to agriculturists, food soon became in abundance in the area. Politically there emerged leaders in these communities who gained power via control Continue reading...

The empire of the great Qing was the last imperial dynasty in China that ruled from the year 1644 to 1912 (Von et al., 2013). It was a multicultural empire that lasted for about three centuries and went ahead to form the territorial base of the modern Chinese state. The Dynasty opened up China to foreigners that eventually presented two ways of dealing with the West. One way was by strengthening China through peaceful reforms, and the other was by driving out foreigners by use of force. There was a group referred to as the boxers who tried to Continue reading...