<!-- factbase:133a48 -->
# Ancient China

# Ancient China

## Overview
Ancient Chinese civilization developed along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, producing enduring contributions to philosophy, governance, technology, and culture. This entry covers the period from the Shang dynasty through the Han dynasty (~1600 BCE – 220 CE).

## Key Facts
- Region: East Asia, centered on the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys
- Period covered: ~1600 BCE – 220 CE
- Major dynasties: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
- Language: Old Chinese, Classical Chinese
- Writing: Oracle bone script (~1200 BCE), evolving into seal script and clerical script

## Major Dynasties
- Shang (~1600–1046 BCE): First historically verified dynasty, oracle bones, bronze casting [^1]
- Zhou (~1046–256 BCE): Longest dynasty, Mandate of Heaven, Confucius, Laozi
- Qin (221–206 BCE): First unified empire under Qin Shi Huang, Great Wall, standardization
- Han (206 BCE – 220 CE): Silk Road trade, paper invention, Confucian state ideology

## Achievements
- Oracle bone script: Earliest Chinese writing ~1200 BCE
- Iron casting by ~500 BCE (centuries before the West)
- Silk production and trade
- Paper invented ~100 CE during the Han dynasty [^2]
- Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism as philosophical traditions
- Great Wall construction begun under Qin Shi Huang ~221 BCE

---
[^1]: Keightley, D. *Sources of Shang History* (University of California Press, 1978)
[^2]: Tsien, T. *Written on Bamboo and Silk* (University of Chicago Press, 2004)
---

## Review Queue

<!-- factbase:review -->
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Region: East Asia, centered on the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Period covered: ~1600 BCE – 220 CE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Major dynasties: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Language: Old Chinese, Classical Chinese" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Writing: Oracle bone script (~1200 BCE), evolving into seal script and cleric..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Shang (~1600–1046 BCE): First historically verified dynasty, oracle bones, ..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Zhou (~1046–256 BCE): Longest dynasty, Mandate of Heaven, Confucius, Laozi" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Qin (221–206 BCE): First unified empire under Qin Shi Huang, Great Wall, st..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Han (206 BCE – 220 CE): Silk Road trade, paper invention, Confucian state i..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Oracle bone script: Earliest Chinese writing ~1200 BCE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Iron casting by ~500 BCE (centuries before the West)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Silk production and trade" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Paper invented ~100 CE during the Han dynasty [^2]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism as philosophical traditions" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 28: "Great Wall construction begun under Qin Shi Huang ~221 BCE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Region: East Asia, centered on the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Period covered: ~1600 BCE – 220 CE" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Major dynasties: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Language: Old Chinese, Classical Chinese" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 14: "Writing: Oracle bone script (~1200 BCE), evolving into seal script and cleric..." - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Zhou (~1046–256 BCE): Longest dynasty, Mandate of Heaven, Confucius, Laozi" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Qin (221–206 BCE): First unified empire under Qin Shi Huang, Great Wall, st..." - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Han (206 BCE – 220 CE): Silk Road trade, paper invention, Confucian state i..." - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Oracle bone script: Earliest Chinese writing ~1200 BCE" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Iron casting by ~500 BCE (centuries before the West)" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Silk production and trade" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 27: "Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism as philosophical traditions" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 28: "Great Wall construction begun under Qin Shi Huang ~221 BCE" - what is the source?
> Keightley (1978) [^1], Tsien (2004) [^2]
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 17: "Shang (~1600–1046 BCE): First historically verified dynasty, oracle bones, ..." - Keightley source from 1978 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Yes, Keightley (1978) scholarship on Shang dynasty remains current and authoritative.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 26: "Paper invented ~100 CE during the Han dynasty [^2]" - Tsien source from 2004 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Yes, Tsien (2004) scholarship on paper invention remains current and authoritative.