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# 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). @t[~1600 BCE..220 CE]

## Key Facts
- Region: East Asia, centered on the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys
- Period covered: ~1600 BCE – 220 CE @t[~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 @t[~1200 BCE]

## Major Dynasties
- Shang (~1600–1046 BCE): First historically verified dynasty, oracle bones, bronze casting @t[~1600 BCE..1046 BCE] [^1]
- Zhou (~1046–256 BCE): Longest dynasty, Mandate of Heaven, Confucius, Laozi @t[1046 BCE..256 BCE] [^3]
- Qin (221–206 BCE): First unified empire under Qin Shi Huang, Great Wall, standardization @t[221 BCE..206 BCE]
- Han (206 BCE – 220 CE): Silk Road trade, paper invention, Confucian state ideology @t[206 BCE..220 CE]

## Achievements
- Oracle bone script: Earliest Chinese writing ~1200 BCE @t[~1200 BCE]
- Silk production: earliest archaeological evidence ~2700 BCE (Qianshanyang site, Zhejiang) @t[~2700 BCE] [^4]
- Iron casting by ~500 BCE (centuries before the West) @t[~500 BCE] [^5]
- Paper invented ~100 CE during the Han dynasty [^2]
- Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism as philosophical traditions (Hundred Schools of Thought, ~770–221 BCE) @t[~770 BCE..221 BCE]
- Great Wall construction begun under Qin Shi Huang ~221 BCE @t[~221 BCE]

## Key Figures
- Confucius (~551–479 BCE): Founder of Confucianism; active during the Spring and Autumn period @t[~551 BCE..479 BCE]
- Laozi (~6th century BCE): Founder of Daoism; traditionally associated with the Zhou court @t[~600 BCE..500 BCE]
- Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE): First emperor of a unified China @t[259 BCE..210 BCE]

## Chronological Notes
The Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project (1996–2000, final report 2022) established absolute dates for early Chinese dynasties using radiocarbon dating and astronomical records, confirming Shang beginning at ~1600 BCE and Zhou at ~1046 BCE. [^3]

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[^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)
[^3]: Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project, final report (2022); see also Shaughnessy, E. in *Cambridge History of Ancient China* (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
[^4]: Good, I. et al. "New evidence for early silk in the Indus Valley" *Archaeometry* 51.3 (2009); World History Encyclopedia, "Silk" (worldhistory.org)
[^5]: Wagner, D. *Iron and Steel in Ancient China* (Brill, 1993)
---

## 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?
> Historical event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Period covered: ~1600 BCE – 220 CE" - when was this true?
> 1600 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Major dynasties: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Language: Old Chinese, Classical Chinese" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Writing: Oracle bone script (~1200 BCE), evolving into seal script and cleric..." - when was this true?
> 1200 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Shang (~1600–1046 BCE): First historically verified dynasty, oracle bones, ..." - when was this true?
> 1046 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Zhou (~1046–256 BCE): Longest dynasty, Mandate of Heaven, Confucius, Laozi" - when was this true?
> 256 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Qin (221–206 BCE): First unified empire under Qin Shi Huang, Great Wall, st..." - when was this true?
> 206 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Han (206 BCE – 220 CE): Silk Road trade, paper invention, Confucian state i..." - when was this true?
> 206 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Oracle bone script: Earliest Chinese writing ~1200 BCE" - when was this true?
> 1200 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Iron casting by ~500 BCE (centuries before the West)" - when was this true?
> 500 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Silk production and trade" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Paper invented ~100 CE during the Han dynasty [^2]" - when was this true?
> 100 CE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism as philosophical traditions" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 28: "Great Wall construction begun under Qin Shi Huang ~221 BCE" - when was this true?
> 221 BCE event. Attested by Keightley (1978) [^1]; Tsien (2004) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [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.