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The Xia Dynasty began is about 2100 BCE and ended in about 1600 BCE. People in the dynasty learned to cast bronze, which they used to craft cups and other such vessels for ritual purposes.
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The Shang Dynasty began in about 1600 BCE and ended in about 1046 BCE. It was located near the Yellow River, and cities contained palaces, temples, housing the the upper class and commoners, crafting shops for various things, and burial grounds. The Shang people were excellent metal workes, and worked heavily in bronze weapon and vessels. Because of this, bronze become a symbol of power.
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Oracle bones were used in divination. The bones were interpreted by using a hot rod to crack the bones and looking at those. The cracks were seen as answers from ancestors to questions that were carved into the bones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gfIqOo__I
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The Zhou Dynasty began in 1046 BCE and ended about 256 BCE. It is said that the three first kings of the dynasty made it the strongest, these being King Wen, King Wu, and the Duke of Zhou. This period is the first in which texts were able to be transmitted.
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http://www.pbs.org/story-china/timeline/#/*/warring-states World History The Human Journey
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Another Chinese philosophy founded by Laozi was Daoism. Laozi saw Daoism as an indescribable force that ruled the universe and all nature. According to this, people should not strive for material wealth and politics were not important. This philosophy become important second only to Confucianism
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Confucius was a man who tried to get people to do good and abide by the traditional societal roles set in the golden days of the Zhou dynasty. He was a adviser in courts. His philosophy became one of the most important in schools of thought throughout China.
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By this time China was dominated mostly by 7 strong powers. Qin was a major power in the area. Qin eventually conquered all the other states.
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A school of Chinese philosophy which was concerned with politics. Legalists believed in power instead of virtue, and harsh laws. By this philosophy, people were viewed as selfish and untrustworthy, and peace could only be achieved by threatening harsh punishments.
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The Battle of Gaixia started because a group of conscripts were delayed due to weather, and instead of facing the punishment of being late, they decided to become outlaws. Because of this, revolts broke out, and after 8 years of struggle the battle finally broke out. https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/wi-western-chu-wins-the-battle-of-gaixia-202-bce.425709/
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Traders traveling from India to China along the silk road were the ones who brought Buddhism with them. In the beginning, it was only practiced by foreigners. Over time the Chinese adopted the religion, and began to practice it. By the mid 500s, it was very popular and much of China had temples and monasteries.
