The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built. It is about 4,000 miles long and 1,200-1,500 miles of the Great Wall was built during the reign of Emperor Shihuangdi (from Qin Dynasty). The Great Wall crosses northern China from the east coast to the central part of China. It was made by connecting older walls and its purpose was to keep the Mongols from attacking the empire, which lived in the north. About 1 million people were marched north to build it. Since so many people died while building the wall, it is sometimes called the “Long Graveyard.”

The Silk Road

The Silk Road is an ancient trade route that links China to the West. The Silk Road became the longest ground trade route in the ancient world. It stretched from China to imperial Rome which is now present day Italy. Traveling merchants rarely made the trip from one end of the road to the other. After making trades along the way, merchants returned to their homelands. Around 100 BC, there was a demand for China’s silk, especially in Rome, so many of the original trade routes became connected and formed what became known as the Silk Road. Many things were carried on the Silk Road including ideas, religions, technologies, metals, and goods that spread.

Chinese Inventions

The Chinese invented many things including the umbrella, the seismograph, the blast furnace,

 the wheelbarrow, the tea shredder,

and the yoke. Some important inventions include the compass, acupuncture, fireworks, gunpowder, and paper, which were also invented by the Chinese.

Terra Cotta Army

The Terra Cotta Army was found in 1974 by farmers digging a well in central China, which was the burial place of the emperor Shihuangdi. He set up standardized systems of writing, measurement, money, and roads. About 700,000 people worked for thirty years on the 7,000-8,000 soldiers, horses and chariots. No two soldiers were alike and were once brightly painted and held real weapons. Today, most of the soldiers are in bits and pieces as a result of various different reasons so people are trying to restore it. Thousands of tourists from around the world to see the tomb that is so amazing.  

Chinese Zodiac 

Snake

1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 

discreet, refined, intelligent 

The Chinese Zodiac is a twelve-year cycle, which started from Buddhism. The story has Buddha call every animal in China to his bedside and those who came; he honored a year for each of the twelve animals. The twelve animals that appeared were the rat, ox, tiger, hare (rabbit), dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and the pig.

Each animal has its own special characteristic and it happens to be that all the descriptions for the snake, in my opinion, fit me perfectly. It is believed that the year that you are born, you will have that animal’s qualities. Also, it is believed that these characteristics affect events that happen during the year. 

Daily Life of the Ancient Chinese

Most people of ancient China were peasant farmers who grew crops on small plots of land and every family member helped out. They supplied food to the army and people in the city, used canals to water their fields, used simple tools, had to do many exhausting things, paid taxes, and terrace farmed. Basically, poor people ate inexpensive food and wealthy people ate very good food. They drank boiled water, tea, and rice wine. Clothing was a mark of class in ancient China. The type of fabric, the color and decorations on the fabric, jewelry, headgear and footwear all told something about the wearer's position in society.  Farmers usually made their homes from mud bricks with reed or tile roofs. The bottom floor was often built below ground to help keep the family warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Wealthy people had more luxury than the poor. The basis of Chinese life was a belief in harmony and balance and people worshipped their ancestors. The family held Chinese society together. The family was "all important" in ancient China and families made mutual decisions.  Age demanded respect and elders were thought of wise. The family name would come first and the individual name follows. Men were seen as superior to women. Boys learned their family's trade, and girls learned to manage a household. A father decided who his daughter was to marry. At a funeral people wore the color white, which is the color of mourning. The Chinese enjoyed baths and washed with soap made from herbs. Poor people story told, gambled, played card games, board games, and chess, bet, and had insignificant pets. Wealthy people hunted, raced horses, grew flowers and bonsais, dogs were popular, and spent their leisure time practicing calligraphy, composing poetry, or listening to music. These things were liked by everyone: juggling, entertainment, opera, kite flying, wrestling, puzzles, badminton, and Frisbee tossing. The Chinese New Year was the most important festival in which offerings were made to the spirits. The social class consisted of the emperor at the top, then scholars, peasants, artisans, and the lowest were the merchants (soldiers did not belong to class of their own).  Most villages and cities were square with walls around it, palace in the center, and the poorer people lived farther away than the wealthier people.  There were also artisans’ shops, a marketplace, temple, in larger cities there were teahouses and restaurants, and there were performers.