Chinese History Workshop

[Knight-Dragon]

Not many new threads lately... So here's my contribution for this weekend.

In this thread, you can ask questions relating to Chinese history, and I'll try to answer as best as I can. Sort of a quick question-and-answer session on Chinese history.

Note: This is not a quiz thread, for me to answer...

 

[stalin006]

Emperor that unified china?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Emperor that unified china?

Many emperors had (re)unified China.

Pls note this is not a quiz thread, for you to quiz me...

 

[zjl56]

Ok heres an easy one. Which Mongol relitive of Ghengis Khan finished the conquest of China and proclaimed himself himself emperor of China?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Khubilai.

Like I said, this is not a quiz thread for me to answer...

 

[zjl56]

??? You say this is not a quiz thread but you want us to give you questions Isn't your beginning post contradicting itself?

 

[alex994]

I agree with zjl56

 

[Mongoloid Cow]

I think he means more on the lines of something like (I'm just crapping on a question here too BTW): I'm doing a homework assignment on Chinese history. For this I need to know what the social and ecomonic situations were like in the lead up to the Yellow Turban revolt, but I can't find specific information on them. Can you help me out?

Or something along those lines, I'm guessing.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Indeed, what Mongoloid Cow said. Ask me something you want to know, but don't know.

Not something you know, but want to 'test' me at.

You know what does the word 'workshop' means?

 

[Merc]

What are some of the technologies that the dirty Europeans stole from the Chinese, and made them into weapons of mass destruction?

 

[javad]

Has China ever been at war with Persia?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Has China ever been at war with Persia?

No, not that I'm aware of.

Not unless you count the period when N China at least was under Mongol rule around the early 14th century CE, and the Mongols were invading the ME (under Hulagu).

 

[Knight-Dragon]

What are some of the technologies that the dirty Europeans stole from the Chinese, and made them into weapons of mass destruction?

'Stole' is not the right word. And why 'dirty'?

Technologies were transmitted westwards fr people to people, until it ended up in Europe. Or otherwise brought directly by the Mongols (during their invasions) to Europe. I suspect the later is the case in the case of gunpowder...

 

[Merc]

'Stole' is not the right word. And why 'dirty'?

Technologies were transmitted westwards fr people to people, until it ended up in Europe. Or otherwise brought directly by the Mongols (during their invasions) to Europe. I suspect the later is the case in the case of gunpowder...

I was just kidding. I was referring to stuff like the stirrup and gunpowder. Is there anything else similir to those two?

 

[aaminion00]

Could you tell me a little about that one significant battle fought between Chinese forces and the Islamic Caliphate in the mid 7th century, won by the latter?

 

[mrmitchell]

How can a 6,000 year old culture be called a "developing nation"?

More recently. How has Chinese life changed in the past, say, decade?

Do those in the west live comfortably as well?

 

[Mongoloid Cow]

Merc, was the stirrup really invented for the first time in China? (Just wondering because I think I remember reading something about the Scythians, Sarmatians or some other people from the Ukrainian steppes using them, before contact with China was initiated in the first Century AD)

 

[stratego]

How can a 6,000 year old culture be called a "developing nation"?

6000 years is relatively new compared to the age of the earth with is aroud 5billion years.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Could you tell me a little about that one significant battle fought between Chinese forces and the Islamic Caliphate in the mid 7th century, won by the latter?

The Battle of the Talas River, which ensured that Central Asia would fall under the Islamic sway. 751 or 755 I think.

On the one side, you had a Tang army of a few tens of thousands - an actual Chinese army. On the other, an Arab/Islamic army. Both sides had local Turkic allies.

IIRC the battle went back and forth w/o result all morning, until one Turkic tribe, allied to the Tang, betrayed the Chinese and switched sides. The Chinese soldiers who were captured were sold as slaves, in as far as Baghdad; if not killed outright (we're not a People of the Book after all).

Of particular note, Chinese paper-makers with the defeated Tang army were brought to Baghdad...

 

[Knight-Dragon]

How can a 6,000 year old culture be called a "developing nation"?

The 'developing' portion denotes an economic context, rather than cultural or historical. In that sense, China is a developing nation, yet to reach its actual economic potential.

As a civilisation and a cultural entity, it's quite matured though.

More recently. How has Chinese life changed in the past, say, decade?

Do those in the west live comfortably as well?

I don't live in China - but I'd say that life is getting better with every passing day for the urban Chinese in China; probably marginally better for those out inland too. But probably a long way to go (a few decades) before a comfortable wealth level permeats all levels of Chinese society in every geographic region.