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An Lushan's rebellion was one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history. He may have envisaged a bright new era when he crowned himself emperor, but his reign was short, and brought an end to China's golden age.
After a series of collapses beginning around 880 C.E., northern invaders finally destroyed the Tang dynasty. The Golden Age was over. During the Tang dynasty, women had independence and opportunity unmatched by any other ancient period.
The Tang Dynasty (618–907) is considered to be China's golden age. It was a rich, educated and cosmopolitan realm that was well-governed by the standards of the age and expanded its influence in Inner Asia. It saw a flourishing of Chinese poetry and innovation.
The Tang Dynasty is considered a golden age of Chinese arts and culture. In power from 618 to 906 A.D., Tang China attracted an international reputation that spilled out of its cities and, through the practice of Buddhism, spread its culture across much of Asia.
This was part of fivefold division of Ages of Man, starting with the Golden age, then the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Age of Heroes (including the Trojan War), and finally, the current Iron Age.
(220-581) The collapse of the Han Dynasty signaled the beginning of what some historians refer to as China's “Dark Ages.” This was a time of almost constant warfare and intrigue. But it also was a time when one dynasty, tucked away in the southern corner of China, gave rise to great artistic achievement.
Papermaking, printing, gunpowder and the compass - the four great inventions of ancient China-are significant contributions of the Chinese nation to world civilization.
Cathay, name by which North China was known in medieval Europe. The word is derived from Khitay (or Khitan), the name of a seminomadic people who left southeastern Mongolia in the 10th century ce to conquer part of Manchuria and northern China, which they held for about 200 years.
Farming and trade brought wealth to China. This allowed the Chinese to develop new technology and enjoy a golden age of art and writing. All civilizations depend upon leadership for survival. Led by Genghis Khan, the Mongols built a vast empire.
The Song dynasty (960-1279) follows the Tang (618-906) and the two together constitute what is often called "China's Golden Age."
In 581 C.E., the short-lived Sui dynasty emerged to unify the Northern and Southern territories before being overthrown by the Tang dynasty in 618 C.E. The Tang dynasty enjoyed significant stability and is often described as the greatest of the dynasties.
The economy of the Song dynasty (960–1279) in China was the wealthiest economy in the world during its time.
Wu Zhao (624–705), also known as Empress Wu Zetian, was the first and only woman emperor of China.
China's aging population could hinder economic growth, create challenging social problems, and limit its capabilities to act as a new global hegemon.
Chinese historians have spent well over a thousand years trying to understand why the Han Dynasty collapsed. Over time they developed three main theories: 1) bad rulers; 2) the influence of empresses and court eunuchs over child emperors too young to rule by themselves; and 3) the Yellow Turban Revolt.
In many Turkic and Slavic languages a form of "Cathay" (e.g., Russian: Китай, Kitay) remains the usual modern name for China.
Ancient China was a very independent civilization. Its formidable land lacked easy travel routes and made it very difficult for hostile invasions. This allowed early Chinese culture to develop aspects such as filial piety, religious beliefs, and writing that influenced and shaped a strong Chinese culture and society.
China, the name in English for the country, was derived from Portuguese in the 16th century, and became common usage in the West in the subsequent centuries. It is believed to be a borrowing from Middle Persian, and some have traced it further back to the Sanskrit word "चीन (Cheen)" for the nation.
Construction of the Great Wall lasted for more than 2,000 years, from the Spring and Autumn (770-476B. C.)
According to the ROA, it is hypothesized that populations of early modern Homo sapiens migrated from Africa and entered the southern part of China around 60,000 years ago; they then dispersed northward. They replaced totally the indigenous human beings and they are the unique ancestors of the modern Chinese.
Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism were the three main philosophies and religions of ancient China, which have individually and collectively influenced ancient and modern Chinese society.
With written records dating back 4,000 years, it is recognized as one of the four great ancient civilizations of the world, together with ancient Egypt, Babylon and India. Moreover, it is the only ancient civilization that has continued to this very day.
The Xia dynasty of China (from c. 2070 – c. 1600 BC) is the earliest of the Three Dynasties described in ancient historical records such as Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian and Bamboo Annals.
According to the Chinese nominal age system, a person is counted as one year old on the day of birth, and becomes one year older, each year, on the day the Chinese New Year is celebrated. This means that, in China, nominal age is usually exaggerated by one to two years as compared with actual age.