How did the Great Wall come about? Started in small sections by previous rulers, it was built up and extended in the Qin Dynasty to keep out invading tribes from the north. Engineers designed a way to link shorter walls with deep, strong foundations. Ultimately, it stretched for thousands of miles across northern China. About one million workers, soldiers, and prisoners labored for many, many years. Thousands died in the effort.
The Chinese invented the wheelbarrow, called the wooden ox, which made carrying big loads easier. This was also the first rickshaw, where one person pulls one or two people on a small platform.
汉朝 Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
Emperor Wu Di sent Zhang Qian to central Asia to make friends with China’s enemies, primarily the Huns. This was the start of the “Silk Road” trade route, along which China’s beautiful silks, lacquer ware, porcelain, tea, and spices were exported. The Silk Road (shown on page 8), started a network of trade routes linking China, India, Europe, and the Middle East.
Engineers designed deep mine shafts allowing China to mine coal, salt, and iron ore. The first suspension bridges allowed people to cross rivers and canyons. Around 100 CE, the first calculator was invented, called the abacus, along with the first seismograph, to detect earthquakes.
Top to bottom: Seismograph (Han Dynasty), magnetic compass (Song Dynasty), and abacus (Han Dynasty).
隋朝 Sui Dynasty (581–617 CE)
A huge engineering feat was completed during the Sui Dynasty: the 1,114 mile (1,792 km) long Grand Canal linked the Huang He and Chang Jiang rivers. Still heavily used, it carried huge barges and small sampans with silk, coal, food, and factory goods from north to south. Compare the Grand Canal to the Suez Canal (120 miles/193 km) and the Panama Canal (about 51 miles/82 km). Can you find the Grand Canal on page 9?
唐朝 Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE)
The Tang Dynasty is called the Golden Age of China. Printed books with poetry and literature became commonly available for people to read. Over the years, experiments with porcelain glazes on pottery led to what became “fine china” in the Song Dynasty. Paper money was invented so tax collectors did not need to carry coins.
The new practice of foot binding made women more obedient to men, and made it painful to walk. Except for those who worked in fields, most women had bound feet. Adult women’s feet were about the size of a 3–5 year old child—exquisite silk embroidered shoes hid their tiny broken feet. Footbinding continued until it was banned in the late 1800s-early 1900s.
The world’s first mechanical clock made by Yi Xiang in 725. It was huge—see the person on the top left platform!
Did you know that the oldest piece of paper was found in a Chinese tomb around 86 BCE (2,100 years ago)? It was made from bark and rope fibers, then strengthened with bamboo. This was different from ancient Egyptian paper made from papyrus.
宋朝 Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE)
By the time of the Song Dynasty, China had over 100 million people. These inventions forever changed the world:
• Magnetic compasses made ocean travel possible.
• Spinning wheels wove fibers into thread, boosting silk and cotton making.
• The “rainbow” bridge design helped tall boats use rivers.
• Chinese printing machines spurred communication; improved kilns and pottery molds created delicate porcelain.
• Chemists developed gunpowder, which led to the later invention of guns and rockets.
• Daoist monks developed the first vaccine against a dreaded disease, small pox.
During the Song Dynasty, fine dining became possible with the invention of the wok, while fine teas were sipped from beautiful porcelain china cups. Fancy restaurants and inns spread to serve traveling merchants. These new ways made the bustling cities of China even friendlier. How often do you and your family go to a restaurant or hotel?
元朝 Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 CE)
Ghenghis Khan created the Mongol Empire in central Asia and Europe through military battles. His grandson, Kublai Khan, founded the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty was the first and only Mongol-controlled dynasty. As trade flourished along the Silk Road, many people of Muslim faith moved to China and brought new cultural influences from central Asia, influencing lifestyle, food, and household furnishings.
Where are the pillars of the “rainbow” bridge? The genius of the design was that none were needed to hold it up! Now tall boats could use so many more rivers.
明朝 Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE)
Under the Ming Dynasty, exquisite arts and crafts flourished, and the Great Wall was repaired and extended. A grand period of exploration occurred after Ming Emperor Zhu Di directed hundreds of ships to be built and filled with expensive jewelry, silks, tea, and other goods to trade with the world. Named “The Treasure Fleet,” 317 ships carrying 27,000 men (including cooks, doctors, scribes, priests, and diplomats), sailed south into the open sea in 1405. Commanded by Admiral Zheng He, they visited 37 countries.
These inventions helped the Treasure Fleet take seven trips across open seas instead of hugging coastlines, which is risky:
• Paper and printing were used to make long paper sailing charts. Reading from the magnetic compass helped to calculate star locations 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