They also show increasing sophistication with the passage of time, evidenced in advances in technology and differentiation in status from the quality and quantity of items buried with the dead.

Thousands of sites show regional differences in the development in the pottery, jade, stone, ivory tools, and vessels used for both utilitarian as well as religious and ritual purposes. Scientific archaeology in China began in the 1920s it has authenticated the Shang as fully historic because of the existence of writing dating to the Shang era, which has been deciphered.Īrchaeological excavations in China since the 1920s show that north and northeastern China, from the Yellow River valley to the coast entered the Neolithic age around 8000 b.c.e. Students of the scientific method in early 20th-century China began a 'doubting antiquity school' that rejected the traditional dating in teaching Chinese history and called both the Xia and Shang dynasties fictional or mythical. The Xia was followed by the Shang (or Yin) dynasty (1766–1122 b.c.e.), which was succeeded by the Zhou (Chou) dynasty (1122–1256 b.c.e.) Collectively they were called the Three Dynasties and established the foundations of the Chinese civilization. with the overthrow of the last tyrant king Jie (Chieh). Thus began China’s first dynasty, the Xia, which ended in 1766 b.c.e. The people were so grateful that they overruled Yu’s choice of a successor and put his son Qi (Chi) on the throne. The third of the sage rulers, called Yu the Great, solved the flooding problems that afflicted the reigns of Yao and Shun by dredging the riverbeds and channeling the water to flow to the sea. The Three Emperors (Yao, Shun, and Yu), also mythical, followed the culture heroes, who were venerated because they abdicated in favor of the most worthy man rather than letting their less-qualiﬁ ed sons succeed them.

According to Chinese history taught until the early 20th century, culture heroes such as the Divine Farmer and Ox Tamer taught the people the arts of civilization.

First chinese dynasty