Early Civilization Throughout China And The Different...

This essay gives an overview of early civilization in China and the different periods within this era. Also, it includes political and cultural pursuits of the people within this time period and the struggles of the Asian peoples and their religious beliefs and community uniqueness and differences. Early on we see the emergence of civilization in China, where relatively isolated within geographical barriers, China’s early civilization developed with little contact with other cultures. During the Neolithic period, peoples living in environmentally distinctive zones—the Yellow and Yangzi River Valleys—mastered agriculture, animals became domesticated, the production of ceramics became more elaborate, built fortified towns, and developed†¦show more content†¦The Shang fell to the Zhou Dynasty, whose first rulers claimed that the Mandate of Heaven had passed to them from the decadent Shang. The Zhou ruled an increasingly decentralized feudal kingdom that ultimately disintegrated into the independent Warring States. For a couple centuries, a code of chivalrous conduct still regulated warfare between the states. During this period, the Zhou society was highly aristocratic. One could witness the distrust of women in politics growing, partly because of the practice of concubinage. Poems compiled in The Book of Songs which contains the earliest Chinese poetry and offered insights into the daily life of the period. Following the Early Zhou Dynasty, we envision the Warring States Period (500–221 B.C.E.). Despite political instability, the Warring States period was a time of great technological and cultural achievement. Advances in military organization and technology, such as the introduction of the crossbow and cavalry revolutionized warfare, and the trend toward centralized bureaucracy fostered social mobility based on individual ability. After the Warring States Period, Confucius and His Followers presented a new way of teaching. Confucius was one of the first men of ideas. Confucius emphasized filial piety and gentlemanly conduct. His teachings minimized the importance of class distinction and opened the way for intelligent and talented