How old is chinese culture

Taoism in China. In the Chinese language the word tao means "way," indicating a way of thought or life. There have been several such ways in China's long history, including Confucianism and Buddhism.

In about the 6th century BC, under the influence of ideas credited to a man named Lao-tzu, Taoism became "the way". Taoism began as a complex system of philosophical thought that could be indulged in by only a few individuals. In later centuries it emerged, perhaps under the influence of Buddhism, as a communal religion. It later evolved as a popular folk religion. Philosophical Taoism speaks of a permanent Tao in the way that some Western religions speak of God.

The Tao is considered unnamed and unknowable, the essential unifying element of all that is. Everything is basically one despite the appearance of differences. Because all is one, matters of good and evil and of true or false, as well as differing opinions, can only arise when people lose sight of the oneness and think that their private beliefs are absolutely true. This can be likened to a person looking out a small window and thinking he sees the whole world, when all he sees is one small portion of it.

Because all is one, life and death merge into each other as do the seasons of the year. They are not in opposition to one another but are only two aspects of a single reality. The life of the individual comes from the one and goes back into it. The goal of life for a Taoist is to cultivate a mystical relationship to the Tao.

Adherents therefore avoid dispersing their energies through the pursuit of wealth, power, or knowledge. By shunning every earthly distraction, the Taoist is able to concentrate on life itself.

The longer the adherent's life, the more saintly the person is presumed to have become. Eventually the hope is to become immortal. He lived in Ancient China during the Zhou Dynasty.

Confucius was a government official, and during his lifetime he lived from to B. Perhaps due to the turmoil and injustices he saw, he set himself to develop a new moral code based on respect, honesty, education, kindness and strong family bonds. His teachings later became the basis for religious and moral life throughout China. Confucius believed that a good government was the basis for a peaceful and happy society.

And the basis for a good government was good officials. Ren stands for Kindness to the fellow man. Xin stands for truthfulness, faithfulness and sincerity. Yi for righteousness or honesty, generosity of soul. Xiao for filial piety, for strong family values. It is often said that if you are in Beijing, there are essentially two things that you must do; one is to climb the Great Wall of China , and the other is to eat Peking Duck. Once confined to the kitchens of the palace, the legendary Peking Duck is now served at thousands of restaurants around Beijing, as well as around the world.

City ruins with areas between 2. In these ancient cities, social stratification are clearly visible in the relics of buildings and graves, experts said. According to the research team, signs of civilization emerged around 5, years ago in areas of the Yellow River, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the West Liao River in northeast China. From 5, years ago, various regions of China began to embrace civilization. Around 3, years ago, a more matured civilization developed in the Central Plain area and began to exert cultural influence over surrounding areas, establishing itself as the core and leader of the overall process of Chinese civilization, the researchers concluded.

Thankfully we can now describe this period of the history," said Zhao Hui, who works on the project. Jerusalem destroyed Paper.

Roman Empire divided Buddhism flourishing. Use of coal. Grand Canal. Paper money. Navigation and mathematics. Jenghis Khan. Marco Polo. Turks take Constantinople Period of restoration and stagnation. Clash with Japan over Korea. Canton open to Western trade.

Spread of Western culture. Taiping Rebellion. Unification under Chiang Kai-shek. In the Beginning The Chinese people did not come to China from somewhere else as did our own early settlers but are thought to be the direct descendants of the prehistoric cave men who lived in North China hundreds of thousands of years ago. GI Roundtable Series Primary source documents from — Western World. Chinese World. Trojan War. Carthage founded. Hebrew prophets. Greek lyric poets. Persian Wars.

Bronze mirrors. Punic Wars. Carthage and Corinth destroyed. Birth of Christ. First Buddhist influences. Jerusalem destroyed.

Marcus Aurelius. Political disunity but cultural progress and spread. Roman Empire divided. Buddhism flourishing. Odoacer takes Rome. Trade with Indo-China and Siam. Large-scale unification. Moslems stopped at Tours. Holy Roman Empire. Wang An-shih. Classical Renaissance. Rise of Jurchid. Magna Carta. Operatic theater. Printing in Europe.

Yung Lo builds Peking. Turks take Constantinople. Period of restoration and stagnation. Portuguese traders arrive. Religious Wars. American, French, Industrial Revolutions.