L.O: Understand China’s timeline from the Qin Dynasty to present.

L.O: Understand China’s timeline from the Qin Dynasty to present. KEY WORDS Dynasty, Confucianism, Philosophy, Unification, Abdication, Republic, Communism, Innovation, Revolution.

Match the word and the meaning! • dynasty • Confucianism • philosophy • unification • nationalist • Communism • innovation • revolution • Devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation. • The introduction of something new. • the overthrow of a government by its people • A way of thinking about the world, society and universe and how we behave as individuals in it. • A political way of thinking: no social classes, with common ownership of tools, factories, and farms that are used to produce goods and food. • The process of being united or made into a whole. • An ethical system and way of thinking developed by the philosopher ‘Confucius’. • A period of time when a country is ruled by people from the same family.

Shang Dynasty • The first Chinese dynasty for which clear written evidence exists. • 1700-1046 BC. • A long period where China was a series of independent states. • Kung Fu/other martial arts started to flourish.

Qin Shihuangdi unites China • Known as The First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi is ruthless in his quest to unify many independent states. • He starts building ‘The Great Wall.’ • He invents new political and monetary systems for the ‘united China’. • 221 – 206 BC.

Han Dynasty • Golden age: China grows even stronger. • Growth in economy/money • Start of Confucianism as a state philosophy. • 206-220 AD.

Opium Wars • Also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars. • First Opium War: 1839 to 1842 • Second Opium War: 1856 to 1860. • Disputes over trade and diplomatic relations between China and the British Empire. • Chinese originally used opium for medicinal purposes. British mixed it with tobacco – Chinese people widely addicted to it and became dependent on trading with Britain for it (sourced from East India Company).

Century of Humiliation • Immediately after the Opium Wars. • China weakened financially and addiction was widespread. • Mass foreign invasion – Japan and Imperialist Britain. • 1839-1949

Terracotta Warriors are discovered • A farmer from near Xi’an tries to dig for a new well in 1974 and discovers a whole number of broken ancient terracotta figures. • Protecting the tomb of Qinshihuangdi(1st Emperor of China)

Chinese writing system invented • 1500 BC. • Chinese characters are one of the oldest writing systems in the world. • The Chinese later invented the first printing press.

Song Dynasty • Weak militarily/politics. • But strong creatively – lots of inventions and writing of popular literature. • 960-1279 AD.

Mongols conquer China • ‘Outsiders’ Mongols establish their own Yuan dynasty founded by Kublai Khan. • Marco Polo and other western travellers visit. • Beijing become capital of China. • 1271-1368 AD

Qing Dynasty – drive out Mongols • Mongolia and Tibet become ‘annexes’ to China. • 1644.

Mao & Communism • In 1949 Chairman Mao Zedong proclaims the founding of the ‘People’s Republic of China’. • China becomes a Communist country. • ‘Nationalists’ retreat to island of Taiwan (and have stayed ever since).

Mao’s Cultural Revolution • 1966-76. • Ten-year political campaign/ social experiment aimed at purifying communists values. • Mao Zedong and his wife, Jiang Qing led the revolution. • Mao’s Red Guards carried out brutal attacks to remove "bourgeois“ influences. • Millions were forced into manual labour, and tens of thousands were executed. • Massive civil unrest.

One Child Policy • After the cultural revolution, China’s government are worried that the population of China is spiralling out of control. • They introduce a strict one child policy. • 2007 policy relaxed to just 36% of China. • 2013 announced – 2 children allowed if one of parents is only child.

Hong Kong handed back to China • At the very end of the 1980s, China presses the United Kingdom to handover Hong Kong. • UK had held Hong Kong since 1842 (end 1st Opium War) • Mainly British education system. • Dual language signage remains ever since.

3 Gorges Dam complete • Yangtze river. • After nearly 20 years in the making, the controversial 3 gorges dam is completed just 2 years before the Beijing Olympics. • The 3 gorges dam flooded archaeological and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3 million people. • A ship lift is now fully operational.

Beijing Hosts the Olympics • Beijing become the hosts the Olympic games for the first time in China’s history. • Next stop, London 2012.

China, a true Superpower • China overtakes Japan as the 2nd largest economy in the world. • It is closing the gap with the USA. • 2013.

Happy New Year 2014 • 31 January 2014. • It willbe the Year of Horse.

L.O: Understand China’s timeline from the Qin Dynasty to present.