 |
Millennium Special: Dragon's Chronicle: Road of Chinese Civilization
Across the vast country, called the country of the dragon, and in more than 200 countries and regions in the world, 1.3 billion Chinese and their 50 million overseas compatriots are hailing the dawning of the new millennium.
For most human beings, the coming year 2001 is the first year of the third millennium, but for the Chinese, it represents the beginning of the sixth millennium of an ancient civilization.
China boasts a long, brilliant history. Carbon-14 technology has identified that Neolithic sites appeared in the Yellow River valley 5,000 years ago, when the magic civilization's first millennium arrived.
Archaeologists have discovered altars, temples, tombs and cities as well as the origins of Chinese characters there, verifying the legendary societies ruled by the Kings of Yan and Huang, both were ancestors of the Chinese people.
Historians now believe that China is home to the only great ancient civilization in the world still surviving today.
China's second millennium began in the 21st century BC with the founding of the Xia Dynasty, the country's first dynasty, which had cultivated the most splendid civilization at that time, known as the bronze culture.
Following the Xia Dynasty was the Shang Dynasty, which inscribed thousands of pictographs on animal bones and tortoise shells. These pictographs were the rudiment of modern Chinese characters.
China's third millennium coincided with the founding of the Zhou Dynasty in the 11th century BC. The Zhou Dynasty gave birth to masters Lao Zi and Confucius, who established sophisticated and profound philosophies having a lasting impact on human society.
During that period of time, the Chinese compiled the earliest map of the solar system and became the first nation to record a solar eclipse.
The Chinese then continued their unprecedented experiments in the dimensions of time and space. In 221 BC, Emperor Qinshihuang united China, and began constructing the unbelievable Great Wall, a symbol of immortality, grandeur and discipline.
At the time of Jesus Christ's birth, China ushered in its fourth millennium. The Han Dynasty was more cohesive than the Roman Empire, and it had survived for 400 years, governing 60 million people.
The Han and the latter Tang Dynasty represented the miracles human beings could create in the first Christian millennium, during which the light of Chinese civilization was shed on Europe via the Silk Road, and China itself learned Buddhism, Islam and Christianity from its neighbors and remote friends.
In this way, a magnificent spatio-temporal view was built: In the eighth century, China was the only country in the world able to map a 4,000 kilometer long meridian, or to send a team to observe the stars within 20 degrees of the south celestial pole, according to Joseph Needham, famous British scientist and historian.
In June of 1998 when US President Bill Clinton visited China he chose Xi'an as his first stop, because 1,000 years ago Xian was the most advanced and mature city in the world from where
commercial routes sprawled to Asia and Europe and the greatest thinkers came and went spreading ideas and doctrines, the President said.
China's fifth millennium began in the 11th century with famous reform aimed at re-building the strong country. Though the reform, pioneered by politician Wang Anshi, failed because of opposition
from conservatives, it did not prevent China from continuing to lead the world in all-round development. Marco Polo drew a vivid picture about this era in his travel notes.
During this period, China completed its greatest inventions and discoveries, including the match, mechanical clock and the screw propeller. Many of the inventions still extensively affect people's daily lives today.
Paper, printing, gun powder and the compass were four great inventions by the Chinese, which were more powerful than any religious belief, any astrology or any conqueror's success in shaping the modern world and drawing a line between the modern era and the mid-century, European philosopher Francis Bacon said.
During this millennium, China launched its grandest geological exploration. However, commander Zheng He and his fleet showed no interest in establishing a colonies overseas, though they sailed as far as Africa.
Besides the mission of peace, ancient Chinese also prepared other legacies for their offspring, including the tradition of harmony and independence, hard work, creativity, and self-reliance spirit that have enabled them to resist poverty and decadence.
However, to many people's disappointment, in last five centuries, the Chinese have ceased their bold exploration of both time and space, and China had become a self-enclosed "central kingdom". Not until in 1840, when China's door was opened by cannons of Western fleets, did the 5,000 years old civilization have a sense of crisis.
Nevertheless, even western scholars admit that an old civilization like China can never be toppled. In the past 160 years, China had experienced the biggest change in human history.
"It has converted itself from a closed country of the mid-century type into a modern society, and the process has affected one-fifth of the world population's way of thinking, marriage, education, dress style and living, and the changes can not be described with ordinary language," said historian Huang Renyu.
The most astonishing change has taken place in the past 50 years, particularly in the recent 20 years. China's take-off has been regarded as one of the most significant events this century.
It verifies again that China still maintains a powerful force to revitalize itself.
January 1 of 2001 is China's "Jiazi Day" according to the country's lunar calendar, which was based on celestial and geological changes observed by ancient Chinese, who believed that everything circles unceasingly around a mysterious constant. "Jiazi" represents the beginning of a new rotative period.
The Chinese who hold this circular spatio-temporal view believe that a great civilization can exist forever through self-restructuring.
In This Section
|