Page 18 - DK Children's Encyclopedia

Ancient China SEE ALSO

▸ ▸ Eating
pp.104–105

Chinese culture is thousands of years old. By 200 bce, ▸ ▸ Inventions
China was united under a family of emperors called the pp.136–137
Han Dynasty from the city of Hanzhong. China produced ▸ ▸ Exploration
pp.180–181
many new inventions that spread to the rest of the world. ▸ ▸ Trade p.257

▸ ▸ Writing p.280

Inventions
This silk costume was
worn by a woman in The Chinese first made
a Chinese opera. silk clothes about 5,500
years ago. They also
invented paper,
gunpowder, printing,
The Great Wall mechanical clocks, the
Chinese emperors built compass, porcelain,
strong walls to keep out and umbrellas.
northern tribes. The Great
Wall of China is 5,500 miles The wall has 25,000 Writing
(8,850 km) long and watchtowers. Soldiers Chinese writing dates
500 years old. used them to look out
for the enemy. to about 1400 bce. Each
of the 4,000 symbols
represents a word or
Hilltop walls were part of a word. The text
easier to defend. is read from top to
bottom and right to left.

The top of the
wall is wide
enough for
soldiers to
march along.

Rice-growing
Rice was first grown in
China about 10,000
years ago. It is still
farmed today. Rice
grows in flooded fields,
such as these terraces.

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