The ancient Chinese invented paper, gunpowder, matches,
the compass, a seismograph to measure earthquakes, the umbrella, and more!
They created incredible philosophies, gorgeous art, and great legends. Even
their money was neat. Coins had a hole in their center. There were not any
banks, so people stored and kept their coins by running a string through
the center. A thousand coins strung together was called a string of
money.
Ancient China is a fascinating mix of extreme extravagance
and extreme poverty. Explore daily life in 4
different Chinese dynasties, meet weird emperors like Hu the Tiger, read
things written in BCE times, and learn about Taoism with
Winnie-the-Pooh!
For those in a hurry, just click on the
Cheat Sheet, for a
very quick look at 11,000 years of ancient Chinese history! Welcome to ancient
China!