and length of time for travel.
• Moveable rudders, invented in the Han Dynasty, steered these big sailing ships.
• Moveable sails meant sailors did not have to wait for winds to blow in the right direction.
Sadly, after Zheng He returned, civil wars halted new trips. Many journals from his voyages were lost. Some think he may have reached America and Australia, but proof is hard to find. Still, China’s role as a powerful maritime trader began with the travels of Zheng He’s fleet.
During the Ming Dynasty, the process of mass-producing exquisite blue and white porcelain was developed. This beautiful house ware became known as “fine china” around the world.
Two amazing buildings were built in Beijing during the Ming dynasty: The Temple of Heaven (above) and the Imperial Palace. Both were built of wood—without using any nails!
The Imperial Palace was known as the Forbidden City, because it was off limits to everyone but royalty, their families, servants and staff, and people on official business. Now a world-class museum, about 9,000 people lived there during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The Temple of Heaven was where the Emperor went to pray in winter for an abundant spring harvest.
Can you imagine sailing across an ocean and all you can see is endless miles of waves? Can you imagine making friends with strangers who don’t speak your language? How would you go about it? Would you bring gifts or weapons?
清朝 Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
The first 150 years of the Qing Dynasty were its glory days. China now stretched from Manchuria (the rooster’s head on pages 8-9) to Mongolia, Central Asia (parts of what is now Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan); south to Tibet and Southeast Asia, including parts of what is now Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Demand grew for Chinese goods. For example in 1684, tea traders began to sell to England. In 1720, they sold 400,000 pounds of tea; by 1800, this grew to 23 million pounds! Other Chinese-made goods like silk, porcelain, cotton and cloisonné (page 42) were in great demand around the world.
In 1908, three-year old Pu Yi became China’s last emperor, ending China’s Imperial Period. Under an agreement with the new government, Pu Yi stopped being emperor in 1912, but was allowed to live in the Inner Court. After being the home of 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Forbidden City was no longer the political center of China.
In Imperial China, the dragon symbolized yang, the power and majesty of the emperor, and the phoenix symbolized yin, the feminine qualities of the empress. Today, the dragon is still a symbol of power, wealth, and respect. Did you know the dragon of royalty had five claws, while the people’s dragon had only three or four? Traditionally, colors had special meanings:
• Red was for happiness, worn at weddings and on festive holidays.
• Yellow was for royalty. In ancient times, only emperors and empresses could wear yellow. Common people could be jailed (or worse!) for wearing yellow.
• Green symbolized spring and renewal.
• White was traditionally worn when people mourned a death.
• Dark blue and black were worn as common people’s working clothes.
This Marble Boat and the Summer Palace (page 7) were lavishly restored by Empress Dowager Cixi. She took money meant for building a strong navy. Without this, several coastal cities were taken over by other countries. One was Hong Kong, which was not returned to China until 1997.
But the last half of the 1800s was quite difficult. Millions died in the Taiping Rebellion (a civil war), floods and droughts. A series of humiliating defeats by other countries forced China to give up land: in the Opium War, Hong Kong was ceded to the British. The Anglo-French invasion, also called the Second Opium War, the Sino-Japanese War, and the Boxer Rebellion, which led to the Eight Nation Alliance War, also caused big land losses. Revolutionary forces led by Sun Yat-Sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty and formed the Republic of China in 1911.
现代 Modern Times (1911—present)
Because living conditions were so hard in the late 1800s due to floods, drought and war, many thousands moved to California (called “Gold Mountain”) in the United States. They worked in gold mines, on the Transcontinental Railroad, and built levees in the Sacramento Delta, to channel water to grow crops. Many sent back their wages to help pay for Sun Yat-Sen’s revolution to end China’s dynasties. Today, Sun Yat-Sen is known as the Father of New China.
In 1937, an eight year war started when Japan invaded China—their bombs killed many people and destroyed precious historic buildings and ancient treasures. In 1941, American volunteers formed the Flying Tigers Air Squadron, to support China in its fight against Japan. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States entered World War II, and China and the US supported each other.
In 1946, fights between Mao Zedong’s Communists and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist Army, called the Kuomintang, led to a three-year civil war. In the end, Chiang fled to Taiwan, keeping China’s name (the Republic of China, or ROC). Mao Zedong renamed the mainland the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1, 1949.
In the 1990s, construction of the Three Gorges Dam began. For centuries, the Chang Jiang River overflowed its banks during rainy seasons, causing thousands to die or be made homeless. The dam controls this powerful river and creates electric energy for China’s industries to grow.
More recently, hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was a great success. Preparing for the Olympics helped China modernize many facilities and spurred rapid growth. Chinese athletes won many medals. Putting on such a successful international event brought national pride and glory to China that will not be forgotten.
Sun Yat-Sen, Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Zedong
Home Sweet Home
What do you think it is like to live in one of these homes?
