Ancient Chinese Civilization Essay -- dynasties, China, technology, Ch

A significant part of the ancient Chinese civilization was that it shared a common background that is longer than any other ethnic group on Earth. China mostly isolated and unknown to the outside world, was quietly progressing at a rate greater than or equal to other notable civilizations of the prehistoric world. China was composed of several dynasties. The dynastic cycle played a definitive role in the successions of Chinese empires. Each era’s achievements and failures influenced the next. The combined contributions from all the regimes, not only led to the success and progress of China, but defined it as well. Technological discoveries, inventions, creations and its ability to adapt all participate in its maturity. The evolution of ancient Chinese dynasties provided the cultural, economical and governmental structure that developed and shaped their country into one of the marvels of ancient times. The governmental structure of the Chinese dynasties evolved with each changing regime. Even the title of king, as was called in the beginning, changed to emperor because it was not grand enough. Each dynasty had the king or emperor as the head of its government. They had supreme power over the economy, government, military, and religious beliefs of the country. The empires used a centralized bureaucracy that had overall control over the country. They learned vast amount from this form of government, each reign modified its structure accordingly, ranging from very strict to almost a hands-off approach. It was not replaced with any other form government; it simply evolved into what was suitable for each period. As the country expanded and became too vast for one man to rule, a feudal system was created, similar to the ones in ancien... ...guage, paper, the decimal system, nautical steering rudder and the use of negative numbers in mathematics to name a few are highlights of this nation’s cultural development and contributions to the world. China has the oldest surviving civilization in the world, lasting over 4,000 years. Its uniqueness was its stability. Ancient dynasties absorbed culture, economy and governmental structure from each other. It was the foundation of their civilization. History has revealed China’s enduring heritage and perseverance to preserve its society. Chinese technological advancements not only helped its nation and people, but also, influenced the development of other countries as well. Many of the systems from thousands of years ago are still a part of Chinese culture today. Works Cited John P McKay. History of World Societies. Palgrave; 9th Revised edition 2012