Gedeon - China the Beginning (China's Origins) (2013) Part 2 The Rise and Fall of the Shang

China The Beginning (China's Origins)

China is the only civilization that continues to hold sway throughout its entire territory as defined by its ancient borders. This three-part series retraces almost 2,000 years of Chinese ancient history – a period that holds vital clues to understanding how this powerful nation was built. Many people forget that during the heyday of the Christian era, China was already a highly developed country. In this fascinating program we will focus on the heart of one of the most mysterious countries in the world. Witness the evolution of civilization and visit the places where the dignitaries are buried, also visit the mausoleum of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang Di.

Part 2: The Rise and Fall of the Shang

The Shang Dynasty was also believed to be a myth for a long time, but its existence has been corroborated by many archaeological discoveries since 1959. The Shang Dynasty supposedly began when the last Xia ruler was overthrown in a rebellion. During this time, the Chinese developed a fairly sophisticated writing system, a very early version of written Chinese character still used to this day. Written inscriptions have been found on turtle shells and animal bones (known as oracle bones) as early as 1500 BCE. Such oracle bones “shell bone”) were used by ancient Chinese rulers for divination. These ancient Chinese believed that the natural elements of the world came from some mystical power which could cause natural disasters such as floods and drought. They would try to predict or divine the future by drilling holes in the bones, then heating them until they cracked. A diviner would then read the cracks which were viewed to be messages from nature and inscribe the messages on the shells or bones

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