How Much Do You Know About Ancient China?

During China’s Shang Dynasty, fortune-tellers carved symbols and scripts into pieces of the bottom of turtle shells, or “plastrons.” Then, they would expose the shell pieces to flame or extreme heat until cracks appeared along the surface, which they analyzed to make a wide range of predictions about the future.

The Zhou Dynasty had the longest reign of the 83 dynasties of China, ruling the land from 1122 BCE to 255 BCE. The long reign may be partially due to the reduction in centralized power for most of the dynasty. In the last two centuries of the Zhou reign, however, the constituent states were at each other’s throats until the Qin dynasty took over in 221 BCE.

Empress Wu began court life as a junior concubine, ultimately rising to the role of empress. Until the emperor’s death and through the rule of two sons, she reigned China behind the scenes. She officially came to power in 690 CE and reigned for 15 years until her death. She is credited with stabilizing a crumbling Tang dynasty and bringing about the golden age of Chinese civilization.

In Chinese dynastic times, silver chopsticks were sometimes used as an early warning sign of poisoned food. People believed that the silver would turn black if it came in contact with toxins such as cyanide or arsenic. In reality, it was the result of the silver reacting with foods such as onion and garlic that release hydrogen sulfide.

The word Ming means “bright,” “luminous,” and “shining” — a testament to the flourishing arts of the dynasty. During the Ming period, artists perfected the staple blue-and-white porcelain with new clay recipes and glazes that lent a purer white and glossier finish. The Ming vase is one of the most world-renowned artifacts from the era, known as “china” in the West and “chini” in the Middle East.

Stretching more than 6,000 miles long, the Tea Horse Road is the longest ancient trade route in the world. Constructed in the 6th century CE, it ran through Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet, allowing people in China to trade tea for horses in Tibet. It could only be traveled by foot with pack horses. The route has been abandoned for modern highways, but parts of it still remain as tourist attractions.

In 238 BCE, Qin Shi Huang was declared king of the state of Qin. As king, he eliminated Qin’s six rival states and annexed them under one rule. In 221 BCE, he annexed the remaining rival state, thus forming the first united Chinese empire. The Qin dynasty ended in 207 BCE, but its bureaucratic and administrative structure became the blueprint for all subsequent dynasties.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century, the Terracotta Army is part of the world's largest ancient imperial tomb complex. Nearly 8,000 clay soldiers protect the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, who took the throne in 246 BCE. He commissioned his own mausoleum shortly after he was crowned, and the army of soldiers would accompany him to the afterlife.

Experts place the origin of papermaking in China in either 105 CE or earlier, between 140 BCE and 86 BCE. Chinese paper was first made from a suspension of hemp waste in water that was washed, soaked, and beaten to a pump with a mallet and hung to dry. Later methods used tree bark and bamboo. Papermaking spread first to Korea and Japan, and reached Europe 500 years after its invention.

A combination of Indian Mahayana Buddhism and Taosim, Zen Buddhism prospered during the Tang dynasty. Zen thought teaches that people must look within themselves to find enlightenment, and one of the essential tools to do so is Zen itself, which means meditation. Zen Buddhism has survived to become popular across the world today.