
Who's Who
in Ancient China?
Civilization in ancient China began over 11,000 years ago. That's a lot of time! The study of ancient China is broken up into big blocks of time to help make the study of ancient China a lot easier.
What's confusing is that people refer to the same block of time by different names. Someone might say "in Tang times" or in "T'ang times" or in "the Golden Age". But they're all the same block of time. They might say in the Chou Dynasty (when the Chou family ruled) or in the Zhou Dynasty (when the Zhou family ruled). But, the Chou and Zhou Dynasties were the same dynasty, only spelled differently. They are both pronounced the same - it sounds like the "Joe" Dynasty.
The cheat sheet below provides a quick glance at the various chunks of time.
Ancient Chinese history is full of adventure and invention and dragons and superstitions and gods and goddesses and fascinating philosophies and some really weird holidays. We think you'll enjoy learning about the ancient Chinese!
Time Period | Dynasty | Quick Glimpse | ||
Early |
Lungshan people, the great engineers |
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Bronze Age |
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Classical Age |
Late Chou |
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Age of Division |
A bunch of |
Hu the Tiger
(who reminds me of Jaba the Hut in Star Wars!) Invention of gunpowder. Tea! (Confucius probably never tasted tea, and it really didn't become popular until T'ang times, but this era is when it first started to be enjoyed.) |
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Early Medieval Period |
The Golden Age! Tea was used as barter with areas in Mongolia for horses in an exchange called the "Tea and Horse" Policy. |
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OTHER KEY TOPICS |
Timeline of Ancient and Imperial China
Timeline on Ancient Chinese Dynasties
Interactive Quiz for Ancient China (with answers)
Stories about Ancient China
Wang the Peddler
Loawnu the Wise Woman
The True Story of Mulan
Dragon Lore
Ancient Chinese Stories

Explore Ancient China
Ancient China Occupations, Professions
The invention and importance of tea
Superstitions in Ancient China
Taoism - An Ancient Philosophy
Comparison of Beliefs - Taoism, Confucianism, Legalism
The 3 Teachings - Confucius, Taoism, Buddhism
Myth: Why Chinese dragons have five toes
Myth: Nian, the Horrible Monster
Ancient Story: Wang the Peddler
Ancient Story: The True Story of Mulan
Ancient Story: The Warrior Well
Legend: The Story of Shadow Puppets
Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age (for kids)
Achievements & Ancient Inventions
Take the Quiz, interactive with answers
Interactive Games about Ancient China for Kids
For Teachers
Ancient China Lesson Plans, Classroom Activities, Projects
What is the difference between a proverb and a fable? (1-2 class periods)
The Three Doctrines & Legalism
Debates on Censorship (2-3 class periods)
The Silk Road Game (1-2 class periods)
Several Lesson Ideas for Ancient China
Free Use PowerPoints about Ancient China for Kids and Teachers
See Also: