A Brief Early History of China (700BC-AD700)

The ancient olympics did not come into being in an empty world. Many other countries were developing at the same time. As an example, this page has a brief history of China overlapping the era of the ancient olympic games.

Eastern Zhou (700-256 BC) and Warring States (475-221 BC)

A period of warfare among regional states. Although this was a time of widespread physical destruction, it was also a time of enormous intellectual ferment, producing China's oldest surviving literature, the Classics, and giving rise to China's golden age of philosophy, the most important schools of which were Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, and Legalism.

Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)

The first centralized imperial empire under Shi Huangdi, or "First Sovereign Emperor". Unification of weights, measures, and the Chinese writing systems and creation of the first Great Wall on the northern border. Endorsement of Legalism and inhibition of the other philosophies.

Han Dynasty (202BC-AD 220)

A strong centralized power that encouraged the reemergence of Confucianism. The empire established a Chinese colony in northern Korea, and gained control over the Silk Road which links China and the Roman world. This time was also notable for institutional and cultural developments, especially the transformation of Indian Buddhism into a Chinese religion. Technological innovations included the invention of the wheelbarrow, paper and gunpowder. The breakdown of the Han led to a return to aristocratic domination of government in the next three centuries.

Sui (AD 581-618) and Tang Dynasties (AD 618-906)

Centralized empires of tremendous social-economical growth and intellectual developments. Chinese power and prestige reached a zenith under Tang, which at its height controlled a pan-Asian empire stretching from Korea to the borders of Persia. This was the greatest period of Buddhism in Chinese history, but Islam, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Nestorian Christianity also entered China at the same time. The civil service examinations were expanded, and a wide range of Confucian scholarly projects was undertaken under imperial sponsorship. With the advancement in Chinese lyric poetry, the world's first printed book was produced.