DYNASTIES

  THE SHANG DYNASTY

   The Shang dynasty was one of the earliest capitals of China, it was the city of Shang.  It became the state name and was ruled by the same family. This dynasty lasted 600 years.  Shangís society was organized like a pyramid.  At the top was the king, down to the nobles, (which were relatives of the king), to the craftworkers, and farmers. During this time writing was established.
It mostly consisted of drawings,  symbols, and objects. Religion was also very important.  People believed that their dead ancestors controlled their lives. They worshipped different gods that controlled different parts of nature.  This dynasty reminds me of Native American Indians because of their writings and their religious beliefs.
QIN DYNASTY

In 221 BC the In dynasty was established.  The emperorís name was Shihuangdi. Shihuangdi meant first Grand Emperor.  During this period a system of writing was established and used throughout the empire. Shihuangdi had craft workers make coins out of bronze to develop money.  He also split the empire into 36 provinces and let the farmers own their own land.  These farmers were also taxed. That helped Chinaís empire to become rich.  The government made huge demands on its people.  Besides their farmwork, the farmers were responsible for building roads, highways and walls, not to mention serve as soldiers.  I think the farmers were the most important part of the Qin Empire.
HAN DYNASTY
In 206 B.C. the Qin dynasty was overthrown by a farmer-turned-general whose name was Han Gaozu.  The Han dynasty lasted for over 400 years. During this period China expanded north to what today is North and South Korea and Vietnam.
In this period paper was invented. Chinese people also began kite flying for entertainment.  The most extraordinary invention was the seismograph.  The seismograph detects earthquakes.
Family and education were especially important during this period. Schools were set up so that a person with the highest rank in education could apply for government work. I think that education was most important thing in this period but sadly this did not apply to girls.