This document provides a detailed overview of Chinese history, culture, and literature from prehistoric times through the modern era. It begins with a brief chronology of prehistoric China divided into the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Ages. It then covers major dynasties and time periods in Chinese history from the Xia Dynasty through the Qing Dynasty. Key sections also summarize aspects of Chinese culture such as language, food, customs and celebrations, science and technology, eastern martial arts, and traditional Chinese literature including classical texts that have been influential.

2. officially the People's
Republic of China (PRC)
is a country in East Asia and
the world's most populous
country, with a population of
around 1.428 billion in 2017.
Governed by the Communist
Party of China, the state
exercises jurisdiction over
22 provinces, five autonomous
regions, four direct-controlled
municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin,
Shanghai, and Chongqing), and
the special administrative
regions of Hong
Kong and Macau.

3. Prehistoric China — Up to About 1600 BC
Prehistoric
China’s
chronology is
divided into
three ages.
the Paleolithic
Age
the Neolithic
Age
the Bronze
Age

4. Paleolithic Age
The Paleolithic Age dates back from 2.5
million to 10,000 years ago, during which the
matriarchal clan society was formed, a social
system in which the mother was head of the
family and descent was traced through the
mother's side of the family.
the Paleolithic Age

5. the Neolithic Age
The Neolithic Age dates back from 18,000 to 4,000 years ago,
during which the patriarchal clan society, a social system in which
males were the primary authority figures and were central to
social organization, was formed.
The patriarchal family commune appeared in the Neolithic Age
and showed the transition of the polygamous marriage to
monogamy, where the lines of descent were traced through the
father's side of the family and property was inherited by the male
lineage.

6. the Bronze Age
The Bronze Age dates back from the 21st century BC to the 5th
century BC, from which Chinese civilization starts, and it ranged from
the Xia Dynasty to the Shang and to the Zhou Dynasty.
The Bronze Age was a period when the Three Wise Kings and Five
August Emperors lived (Suiren, Shennong, Fuxi, Huangdi, Zhuanyu,
Yao the Great, Shun and Yu). Qi, Tang and Jifa were the founders of
the Xia (2070 BC-1600 BC), the Shang (1600 BC-1046 BC) and the
Zhou (1046 BC-221 BC) dynasties respectively.

7. Dynasties

8. The Xia Dynasty (c. 2070–1600 BC)
Early Bronze Age China
the first dynasty in ancient
China, it's generally believed
that the Xia Dynasty consisted of
several clans living alongside the
Yellow River. Most of the evidence
for the Xia Dynasty, including its
name, is perhaps just legend.

9. Ancient China (c. 1600–221 BC)
The Shang Dynasty
(c. 1600–1046 BC)
The Zhou Dynasty
(1045-221 BC)
The Shang Dynasty was the first to
have historical records
remaining. Many bronze objects
and jade articles, which date back to
1600 BC, have been found to
support these early archaeological
records.
The warring state
period
This era was
divided into three
periods:
the Western Zhou
Dynasty
the Spring and
Autumn Period
The earliest form of Chinese
writing – oracle bones – was found.
The inscriptions on animal bones
had pictographic characters. The
Shang Dynasty’s capital was Yin
(Anyang) and its territory stretched
between the lower reaches of the
Yellow and Yangtze rivers.

10. Imperial China (221 BC – 1912 AD)
The Qin Dynasty
(221–206 BC)
The Han Dynasty
(206 BC – 220 AD)
The Qin and Han
dynasties were the
initial period of the
Chinese empire.
During this period, a
number of institutions
were established that
laid the foundation of
the basic political
system for the next
2,000 years.

11. China's Dark Ages (220–581)
During this messy time,
many religions emerged
and Buddhism was
popular among the
barbarian kingdoms in
North China.

12. Medieval China (581–1368)
The Sui
Dynasty
(581–618)
The Tang
Dynasty
(618-907)
The Song
Dynasty
(960–1297)
The Yuan
Dynasty
(1279–1368) —
Mongol Rule
intense dynasty,
with great
conquests and
achievements,
such as the Grand
Canal and the
rebuilding of the
Great Wall.
the golden
age for poetry,
painting, tricolored
glazed pottery, and
woodblock
printing.
Trade,
technological
development, and
China’s introduction
to foreign countries
continued under
Mongol rule.
period of technological
advances and prosperity.
During the Song Dynasty,
the handicraft industry as
well as domestic and
foreign trade boomed.
Many merchants and
travelers came from
abroad.

13. The Final Dynasties (1368–1912) —
Renaissance and More Foreign Rule
The Ming
Dynasty
(1368–1644)
The Qing
Dynasty
(1644–1912)
It was an era of native
Chinese strength and
prosperity, which faltered
due to natural disasters
and greedy leadership, as
had so many dynasties
before it.
It was the last imperial
dynasty in China’s history.
Modern China's territory
was established during
this era.

14. The Republic of
China Era
(1912–1949)
Modern China
(1949–Now)
Since the founding of the People's Republic
of China in 1949, China has entered a
Communist era of stability, with the Reform
and Opening Up policy of 1978 bringing in
China's phenomenal economic growth.
The Republican Revolution of 1911, led
by Sun Yat-sen, ended the rule of the
Qing Dynasty. However, the Republic of
China could not be firmly established
across China, with civil war ensuing for
decades.

15. Chinese
Culture:
Customs &
Traditions of
China

16. Language
There are seven major groups of
dialects of the Chinese language,
which each have their own
variations
Yue /
Cantonese
WuMandarin
Gan
Hakka
Min
Xiang

17. Food
Like other aspects of Chinese life, cuisine is heavily
influenced by geography and ethnic diversity. Among the
main styles of Chinese cooking are Cantonese, which
features stir-fried dishes, and Szechuan, which relies
heavily on use of peanuts, sesame paste and ginger and
is known for its spiciness.
Rice is not only a major food source in China; it is also a
major element that helped grow their society
The Chinese word for rice is fan, which also means
"meal," and it is a staple of their diet, as are bean
sprouts, cabbage and scallions. Because they do not
consume a lot of meat — occasionally pork or chicken —
tofu is a main source of protein for the Chinese.
Beijing Roast Duck
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.

18. Chinese culture includes
customs and traditions, music,
dances, painting, language,
cuisine, clothing and applied
art. The Chinese written
language, one of the world’s
ancient languages is unique in
its own way, since even now the
Chinese write with the help of
the same alphabet that was
used five thousand years ago.
First the Chinese were writing
on wooden plates, then on silk
and at the turn of our era, they
invented paper.

19. Eastern-style martial arts were
also developed in China, and it is
the birthplace of kung fu. This
fighting technique is based on
animal movements and was
created in the mid-1600s,
according to Black Belt
Magazine.

20. China became a birth-place of gun
powder and paper. It is here where
the Great Silk Road sprang from,
becoming a sui generis linking
bridge between the East and the
West. Starting from Sian, the former
capital of ancient China, the Great
Silk Road ended at the
Mediterranean seashore. It is this
road, by which China exported
paper, silk, gun powder, precious
stones, oriental spices to Europe.
The Great Silk Road played an
important role in formation of
Chinese culture, because it was the
route, by which Buddhism, one of
the main religions of Chinese
civilization, found its way to the
Heavenly Empire.

21. Science & technology
China has invested large
amounts of money in science
advancements and currently
challenges the United States
in scientific research.
.
Another 2017 advancement
is the development of new
bullet trains. Dubbed
"Fuxing," which means
"rejuvenation," these trains
are high-speed
transportation systems that
run between Beijing and
Shanghai. The trains can
travel at speeds of up to
350 km/h (217 mph),
making them the world's
fastest trains. [China's
'Rejuvenation' Bullet Trains
Are the World's Fastest]
One recent 2017 development in
Chinese science is teleportation.
Chinese researchers sent a
packet of information from Tibet
to a satellite in orbit, up to 870
miles (1,400 kilometers) above
the Earth's surface, which is a
new record for quantum
teleportation distance

22. Customs and celebrations
The largest festival — also called the Spring Festival —
marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. It falls
between mid-January and mid-February and is a time to
honor ancestors. During the 15-day celebration, the
Chinese do something every day to welcome the new
year, such as eat rice congee and mustard greens to
cleanse the body, The holiday is marked with fireworks
and parades featuring dancers dressed as dragons.

23. Chinese New Year
You grow 1 year
older on the Spring
Festival
Every year has a
zodiac animal
The Chinese
decorate
everything red for
Chinese New Year
There's wine
specifically for the
Spring Festival
Chinese New
Year
desserts
have special
meanings
You eat
dumplings
for every
meal, every
day
Children
receive lucky
money in red
envelopes
saying unlucky
words (such as
“death” and
“sickness”)
Breaking things
Hair cutting (before
February 2)
No showering,
sweeping or throwing
out garbage allowed!
Singles hire fake
boy/girlfriends to
take home
The Spring Festival
causes the largest
human migration in
the world
It is the longest
Chinese holiday
The most fireworks
are set off in the
world that night
fighting of monsters
It is a day for
praying to gods
There's no set date
for Chinese New
Year
Arguing, swearing
Using
scissors,
knives and
other sharp
things

24. Chinese literature
The history of Chinese literature extends thousands of
years, from the earliest recorded dynastic
court archives to the mature vernacular fiction novels
that arose during the Ming dynasty to entertain the
masses of literate Chinese. The introduction of
widespread woodblock printing during the Tang
dynasty (618–907) and the invention of movable
type printing by Bi Sheng (990–1051) during the Song
dynasty (960–1279) rapidly spread written knowledge
throughout China. In more modern times, the author Lu
Xun (1881–1936) is considered the founder
of baihua literature in China.

25. An archive is an accumulation
of historical records or the
physical place they are located

26. Written vernacular Chinese lso
known as Baihua, is the forms
of written Chinese based on
the varieties of Chinese spoken
throughout China, in contrast
to Classical Chinese,
Written vernacular Chinese
Traditional Chinese 白話文
Simplified Chinese 白话文
Hanyu Pinyin báihuàwén
Literal meaning "plain speech writing"

27. Woodblock printing (or block printing) is
a technique for printing text, images or
patterns used widely throughout East
Asia and originating in China in antiquity as
a method of printing on textiles and
later paper.

28. Movable type is the system
and technology of printing and typography that uses
movable components to reproduce the elements of a document
(usually individual alphanumeric characters or punctuation marks)
usually on the medium of paper.
The world's first movable type printing technology for
printing paper books was made of porcelain materials and was
invented around 1040 AD in China during the Northern Song
Dynasty by the inventor Bi Sheng (990–1051).

29. Lu Xun was the pen name of Zhou
Shuren a Chinese writer, essayist, poet,
and literary critic. He was a leading figure
of modern Chinese literature. Writing
in Vernacular Chinese and Classical
Chinese, he was a short story writer,
editor, translator, literary critic, essayist,
poet, and designer. In the 1930s, he
became the titular head of the League of
Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai.

30. Classical texts
There is a wealth of early Chinese literature
dating from the Hundred Schools of
Thought that occurred during the Eastern
Zhou Dynasty. The most important of these
include the Classics of Confucianism,
of taoism, of Mohism, of Legalism, as well as
works of military science and Chinese history.
Note that, except for the books of poems and
songs, most of this literature is philosophical
and didactic; there is little in the way of fiction.
However, these texts maintained their
significance through both their ideas and their
prose style.
Taoism is a
philosophical or religious
tradition of Chinese origin
which emphasises living
in harmony with the Tao
Confucianism, also
known as Ruism, is a
system of thought and
behavior originating in
ancient China.
Mohism was an ancient
Chinese
philosophy of logic
Legalism s one of Sima Tan's six
classical schools of
thought in Chinese philosophy.

31. The Confucian works in
particular have been of key
importance to Chinese culture
and history, as a set of works
known as the Four Books and
Five Classics were, in the 12th
century AD, chosen as the basis
for the Imperial examination for
any government post. These
nine books therefore became
the center of the educational
system. They have been
grouped into two categories:
the Five Classics, allegedly
commented and edited
by Confucius, and the Four
Books.
The Five Classics are:
I Ching, or Classic of Changes,
a divination manual
Classic of Poetry, a collection of poems,
folk songs, festival and ceremonial
songs, hymns and eulogies;
the Book of Rites or Record of Rites;
the Book of documents, an early Chinese
prose collection of documents and
speeches allegedly written by rulers and
officials of the early Zhou period and
earlier;
the Spring and Autumn Annals, a
historical record of Confucius' native
state, Lu, from 722 to 479 BC.

32. I Ching
also known as Classic of
Changes or Book of Changes,
is an ancient
Chinese divination text and the
oldest of the Chinese classics.
Possessing a history of more
than two and a half millennia of
commentary and interpretation,
the I Ching is an influential
text read throughout the world,
providing inspiration to the
worlds of religion,
psychoanalysis, literature, and
art.

33. Classic of Poetry
The Classic of Poetry,
also Shijing or Shih-ching,
translated variously as the Book of
Songs, Book of Odes or simply
known as the Odes or Poetry
s the oldest existing collection
of Chinese poetry, comprising 305
works dating from the 11th to 7th
centuries BC. It is one of the "Five
Classics" traditionally said to have
been compiled by Confucius, and
has been studied and memorized by
scholars in China and neighboring
countries over two millennia.

34. Book of Rites
The Book of Rites, also
known as the Liji, is a
collection of texts
describing the social
forms, administration,
and ceremonial rites of
the Zhou dynasty as
they were understood in
the Warring States and
the early Han periods.

35. Book of Documents
The Book of
Documents or Classic of
History, also known as
the Shangshu , is one of the Five
Classics of ancient Chinese
literature. It is a collection of
rhetorical prose attributed to figures
of ancient China, and served as the
foundation of Chinese political
philosophy for over 2,000 years.

36. Spring and Autumn Annals
The Spring and Autumn
Annals or Chunqiu is an ancient Chinese
chronicle that has been one of the
core Chinese classics since ancient times.
The Annals records main events that
occurred in Lu during each year, such as the
accessions, marriages, deaths, and funerals
of rulers, battles fought, sacrificial rituals
observed, celestial phenomena considered
ritually important, and natural disaster.

37. The Four Books are:
the Analects of Confucius, a book
of pithy sayings attributed to
Confucius and recorded by his
disciples;
The Analects, also known as
the Analects of Confucius, is an
ancient Chinese book composed of
a collection of sayings and ideas
attributed to the Chinese
philosopher Confucius and his
contemporaries, traditionally
believed to have been compiled
and written by Confucius's
followers.

38. the Mencius, a collection of
political dialogues;
The Menciusis a collection of
anecdotes and conversations of
the Confucian thinker and
philosopher Mencius on topics in
moral and political philosophy, often
between Mencius and the rulers of the
various Warring States
Mencius was a disciple of one of the
students of Zisi, a grandson
of Confucius, and the Mencius records
his travels and audiences with the
various rulers of the Warring States
period, his students, and his other
contemporaries.

39. e Doctrine of the Mean, a
book that teaches the
path to Confucian virtue
The Doctrine of the
Mean or Zhongyong is both a
doctrine of Confucianism and
also the title of one of the Four
Books of Confucian philosophy.
The text is attributed to Zisi or
Kong Ji, the only grandson
of Confucius. It was published
as a chapter in the Classic of
Rites.

40. the Great Learning, a book about
education, self-cultivation and the Dao.
The Great Learning or Daxue was one of the
"Four Books" in Confucianism.
It consists of a short main text attributed to the
teachings of Confucius and then ten commentary
chapters accredited to one of Confucius'
disciples, Zengzi. The ideals of the book were
supposedly Confucius's, but the text was written
after his death.
Great Learning
Traditional Chinese 大學
Simplified Chinese 大学
Hanyu Pinyin Dàxué

41. Classical
poetry
Classical Chinese poetry composition
became a conventional skill of the
well-educated throughout the Ming
and Qing dynasties. Over a million
poems have been preserved,
including those by women, such
as Dong Xiaowan and Liu Rushi, and
by many other diverse
voices. Painter-poets, such as Shen
Zhou (1427–1509), Tang Yin (1470–
1524), Wen Zhengming (1470–1559),
and Yun Shouping (1633–1690),
created worthy conspicuous poems
as they combined art, poetry and
calligraphy with brush on
paper. Poetry composition
competitions were socially common,
as depicted in novels, for example
over dessert after a nice dinner.

42. Classical prose
Early Chinese prose was deeply
influenced by the great philosophical
writings of the Hundred Schools of
Thought. The works of Mo Zi (墨
子), Mencius (孟子) and Zhuang Zi (莊
子) contain well-reasoned, carefully
developed discourses that reveal much
stronger organization and style than
their predecessors. Mo Zi's polemic
prose was built on solid and effective
methodological reasoning. Mencius
contributed elegant diction and, like
Zhuang Zi, relied on comparisons,
anecdotes, and allegories. By the 3rd
century BC, these writers had developed
a simple, concise and economical prose
style that served as a model of literary
form for over 2,000 years. They were
written in Classical Chinese, the
language spoken during the Spring and
Autumn period.
Eight Great
Prose Masters of
the Tang and Son
g
Han Yu
Liu Zongyuan
Ouyang Xiu
Su Zhe
Su Shi
Su Xu
Wang Anshi
Zeng Gong
Some notable contributors
Ming Dynasty
Song Lian
Liu Bowen
Jiao Yu
Gui Youguang
Yuan
Hongdao
Xu Xiake
Gao Qi
Zhang Dai
Tu Long
Wen Zhenheng

43. Classical fiction and drama
Chinese fiction was rooted in the official histories and such
less formal works as A New Account of the Tales of the
World and Investigations of the Supernatural
There was a range of less formal works either oral or using
oral conventions, such as the bianwen (Buddhist
tale), pinghua (plain tale), and huaben (novella), which
formed background to the novel as early as the Song
Dynasty.
With the rise of monetary economy and urbanization
beginning in the Song Dynasty, there was a growing
professionalization of entertainment fostered by the spread of
printing, the rise of literacy and education. In both China and
Europe, the novel gradually became more autobiographical
and serious in exploration of social, moral, and philosophical
problems.

44. The highlights include:
• Romance of the Western
Chamber by Wang Shifu
• The Injustice to Dou
E by Guan Hanqing
• The Jade Hairpin by Gao
Lian
• The Peony Pavilion,
by Tang Xianzu
• The Peach Blossom
Fan by Kong Shangren
• Cases of Judge
Bao (Baogong An) (1594)
• The Chalk Circle 灰闌記
• Celebrated Cases of Judge
Dee 狄公案
Drama Notable fictions

45. Modern literature
• Scholars now tend to agree that modern Chinese literature did
not erupt suddenly in the New Culture Movement. Instead,
they trace its origins back at least to the late Qing period . The
late Qing was a period of intellectual ferment sparked by a
sense of national crisis.
• Intellectuals began to seek solutions to China's problems
outside of its own tradition. They translated works of Western
expository writing and literature, which enthralled readers with
new ideas and opened up windows onto new exotic cultures.
• In this climate, a boom in the writing of fiction occurred,
especially after the 1905 abolition of the civil service
examination when literati struggled to fill new social and cultural
roles for themselves. Stylistically, this fiction shows signs of
both the Chinese novelistic tradition and Western narrative
modes.
• In subject matter, it is strikingly concerned with the
contemporary: social problems, historical upheaval, changing
ethical values, etc.

46. Religions & Beliefs in China
China has been a multi-religion country since the ancient
times. It is well known that Confucianism is an
indigenous religion and is the soul of Chinese culture,
which enjoyed popular support among people and even
became the guiding ideology for feudalism society, but it
did not develop into a national belief. It makes the culture
more tolerant to others, thus, many other religions have
been brought into the country in different dynasties, but
none of them developed powerful enough in the history
and they only provide diverse people more spiritual
support.

47. Buddhism
Buddhism is the most important
religion in China. It is generally
believed that it was spread to
China in 67 AD during the Han
Dynasty (206 BC-220)
During its development in China, it
has a profound influence on
traditional Chinese culture and
thoughts, and has become one of
the most important religions in
China at that time. In general, the
development of this religion in
China can be divided into the
following periods.

48. Han Buddhism
During this period of
time, many Buddhist
scriptures were
translated and explained.
The White Horse
Temple was built during
this period of time and it
signifies the first time of
Buddhism doctrines
delivered in China.
With 8,400
temples and 50
thousand monks,
it is the largest
branch on the
mainland.

49. Tibetan Buddhism
when more Buddhist scriptures
were translated and Buddhist
writings came out. From the
beginning of Northern and
Southern Dynasties, Chinese
Buddhism has entered its
prosperous time. During this
period, it was popularized across
the land. The number of
Buddhists was on increase.
After centuries of development in
Tibet, a unique combination of
religion and politics with Tibetan
Buddhism evolved.
As the second
large sect, it has
3,000 temples
and 120
thousand monks.

50. Southern Buddhism
During this period, many new
Buddhist denominations were
founded. The emperors of the Sui
Dynasty believed in this religion, and
though Tang's emperors believed in
Taoism, they showed a protective and
tolerant attitude toward the
development of other religions. So in
this period, it got a rapid and great
development.
With its combination of religion and
politics, Southern Buddhism,
absorbing Tai culture, has flexible
doctrines. Monks can eat meat and
can secularize. Women do not
become nuns for to do so would break
their ancestral line.
Having 8,000
monks and 1,600
temples, this
sect has the
smallest scale.

51. Confucianism
Confucianism, not a
real religion, is just an
ethical and
philosophical system,
which developed
from Confucius’
thoughts and later was
treated as a kind of
belief to educate
common people.
Based on the Four Books
and Five Classics, the
traditions and principles in
the Confucianism played
an important role in the
formation of Chinese
people’s thinking patterns
and teaching methods.
Confucianism has worldwide influence. In
many countries and regions of world such the
UK, USA, branches of Confucius Institutes
are established in recent years to spread
Chinese culture and expand the language. In
China, you can find many Confucius temples,
which is an important place for the candidates
for important exams. In Beijing, They hang
some red wooden plates with lucky words in
the Confucius Temple in the hope of gaining
high marks and a good future.

52. Confucius
He has proved to be the greatest
influence over the Chinese
character. Besides being a great
educationist, thinker and
unsuccessful politician, he was first
of all an intellect with a noble
morality. He pursued truth, kindness
and perfection throughout his life
and his success and failure were
largely due to his character, which
had an everlasting impact on
Chinese intellect.
Compared to his frustrated political
career, his career as a teacher and
philosopher was brilliant and full of
achievements.
Much of his approach to
education was avante garde
as he promoted the ideas "to
educate all despite their
social status" and "to teach
according to the students'
characteristics". The first of
these broke with tradition as
only the aristocracy had the
privilege of education.

53. He also proposed a complete set of
principles concerning study. He said,
"Studying without thinking leads to
confusion; thinking without studying leads
to laziness." Today's quality-education
was nothing new to him.
he was a living example of the concepts
he promoted and this had a deep and
lasting influence upon his disciples. His
private life was a model of his doctrines.
The Analects of Confucius provide a
vivid record of his teachings but although
he wrote nothing personally, his words
were collected and recorded for posterity
by his disciples. The accumulated words
of wisdom have come down to us as
"The Analects", one of the most
important of all the Chinese classics.
He never tired of
teaching his disciples
while diligence, his
unremitting pursuit of
truth, ideas and perfect
personality, his
integrity, kindness,
modesty and
courteousness inspired
his disciples and the
intellects of subsequent
generations.

54. He stuck to righteousness, saying,
"Improper fortunes are just flowing clouds to
me. For proper fortunes, I will do jobs such
as a driver." He was quite easy with his
ideas despite of poverty. He was virtuous,
always ready to help others and treated
others with tolerance and honesty. To him, a
benevolent person is one who loves others.
He said, "Do not give others what you do
not want yourself", similar to the Bible
teaching of "All those things which you
would have men do to you, even so do you
to them: because this is the law and the
prophets." (Matthew7:12)
One of his teachings was a
variant of the Golden Rule,
sometimes called the "Silver
Rule" owing to its negative form

55. Taoism
Taoism is a genuinely
Chinese religion. Some hold
the opinion that without
understanding it, there can
be no understanding of
Chinese culture.
Taoism, with more than 1,800 years’ history
originated in the Warring Period and came
into being in Eastern Han Dynasty Now
about 300 Taoist Temples are scattered
around China, in which about 30 thousand
Taoists lived in. Around 5 Taoist schools exist
in the country and two main sections are
included in Taoism. In the 1,800 years,
Taoism influenced the local culture deeply,
especially on traditional medicine and
literature. Based on some theories of
alchemists such as Wei Boyang in Eastern
Han Dynasty, different kinds of medicine
prescriptions were created by Sun Simiao
and many other doctors. In literature, many
fictional characters are closely related with
Taoism, such as the Jade Emperor. Apart
from Mainland China, many Taoists live in
Hong Kong, Macau and some foreign
countries.

56. Islam
Being introduced into China in the
7th century in Tang Dynasty, Islam
has more than 1,400 years’
history in the country. Now,
Muslims live everywhere, but the
highest concentrations are
Ningxia Hui Autonosmous Region,
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, Gansu Province and even
Qinghai Province. Sunni Islam
was the main branch worshipped
by almost all the Muslims in the
country.

57. Christianity
Christianity was first
introduced to China in Tang
Dynasty, which was named as
Nestorianism during that time.
After 1840, they swept the
country. Although they were
suspended after 1949, it
spread fast in recent years.
Now about 30 million Chinese
people are Christians, who are
organized in about 97
parishes. Most of Christians
gather in the south part of the
country.

58. In addition to the five main religions, Chinese people have
some other traditional folk beliefs. More than 200 million
people believe the existence of the ancestors’ souls and
worship them, while about 700 million have taken part in
the activities to worship their ancestors or related activities.
About 150 million people believe in Fengshui theory and
140 million people believe in God of Wealth. Chinese
Astrology is very popular and many people think the sign
can decide one’s characters and future. Thus, it is obvious
that the traditional folk belief has a wide foundation among
the local people. Now, more and more Chinese people are
fond of constellation in western culture. In the beginning of
a new year, some people will watch some fortune telling
programs to see whether they can succeed in the next
year and learn how to avoid back luck.

59. Famous
Authors from
China

60. Laozi
ancient Chinese philosopher and
writer. the founder of
philosophical Taoism, and a deity in
religious Taoism and traditional
Chinese religions.
Laozi often explains his ideas by
way of paradox, analogy,
appropriation of ancient sayings,
repetition, symmetry, rhyme, and
rhythm. In fact, the whole book can
be read as an analogy – the ruler is
the awareness, or self, in meditation
and the myriad creatures or empire is
the experience of the body, senses
and desires.

61. Ni Kuang
Ni Cong, better known
by his pen name Ni
Kuang, is a Hong Kong-
American novelist and
screenwriter. He has
written over 300
Chinese-
language wuxia (martial
heroes) and science
fiction novels, and more
than 400 film scripts.
The Wisely Series are a
series of
Chinese adventure-science
fiction novels written by the
Hong Kong novelist Ni
Kuang.

62. Lin YutangLin was a Chinese inventor,
linguist, novelist, philosopher, and
translator. His informal but
polished style in both Chinese and
English made him one of the most
influential writers of his generation,
and his compilations and
translations of classic Chinese
texts into English were bestsellers
in the West.
Works by Lin in English
include:[
My Country and My People
A History of the Press and
Public Opinion in China
The Importance of Living,
The Wisdom of Confucius
Moment in Peking
With Love & Irony
A Leaf in the Storm
The Wisdom of China and
India

63. Lu Xun
a Chinese writer, essayist,
poet, and literary critic. He
was a leading figure of
modern Chinese literature.
Writing in Vernacular
Chinese and Classical
Chinese, he was a short
story writer, editor,
translator, literary critic,
essayist, poet, and
designer. In the 1930s, he
became the titular head of
the League of Left-Wing
Writers in Shanghai.
"A Madman's Diary" is a
short story published in 1918
by Lu Xun, a Chinese writer.
It was the first and most
influential modern work
written in vernacular
Chinese in the republican
era, and would become a
cornerstone piece of
the New Culture Movement.

64. Ba Jin
Li Yaotang better known by
his pen name Ba Jin and also
known as Li Pei Kan, was a
Chinese author and political
activist best known for his
novel The Family. He is
considered to be one of the
most important and widely
read Chinese writers of the
20th century.
Ba Jin's son Li Xiao is also a
fiction writer.

65. Mao Dun
was a Chinese essayist,
journalist, novelist, and playwright.
A 20th-century Chinese novelist,
cultural critic, and the Minister of
Culture of People's Republic of
China (1949–65), he is one of the
most celebrated left-wing realist
novelists of modern China. His
most famous works are Ziye, a
novel depicting life in
cosmopolitan Shanghai,
and Spring Silkworms. He also
wrote many short stories.

66. Guan Moye
a Chinese novelist and short story
writer. Donald Morrison of U.S. news
magazine TIME referred to him as "one
of the most famous, oft-banned and
widely pirated of all Chinese writers“
He is best known to Western readers
for his 1987 novel Red Sorghum Clan,
of which the Red
Sorghum and Sorghum Wine volumes
were later adapted for the film Red
Sorghum. In 2012, Mo was awarded
the Nobel Prize in Literature for his
work as a writer "who with hallucinatory
realism merges folk tales, history and
the contemporary"

67. Han Suyin
Rosalie Matilda Kuanghu Chou
was a Chinese-born Eurasian
physician and author better known
by her pen name Han Suyin
She wrote in English and French on
modern China, set her novels in
East and Southeast Asia, and
published autobiographical memoirs
which covered the span of modern
China. These writings gained her a
reputation as an ardent and
articulate supporter of the Chinese
Communist Revolution. She lived
in Lausanne, Switzerland, for many
years until her death.

68. Geling Yan
is a prominent Chinese-
American writer, author of
several novels, short
stories and screenplays.
Much of her work has been
adapted for film. She is
currently represented by
the Hong Kong-
based Peony Literary
Agency.

69. Eileen Chang
also known as Zhang Ailing or Chang Ai-
ling, was a Chinese-born American
essayist, novelist, and screenwriter.
Chang’s most important contribution was
her construction of an alternative wartime
narrative, one that deviated from the grand
accounts of national salvation and
revolution. In her most important works,
her impressionistic view of modern history
displays colors, lines, shapes, textures,
and moods, which are often crystallized in
the changing styles of women’s clothes.