CHINESE FORRÓ/THE SILK ROUTE

MUSIC: CHINESE FORRÓ (TUPY BARJUD AND DJ GORDO)
Being part of one of the oldest known civilizations, the Chinese Empire existed even before the rise of Rome in the ancient world, and lasted even after the fall of the Roman Empire. Its culture influenced several neighboring countries like Japan and Korea, surviving until nowadays with many of its cultural customs.

In addition to being responsible for the discovery of gunpowder and the inventions of paper and compass, according to economists, China has a good chance of becoming, in the future, one of the largest, if not the largest, economies in the world. It was in China that the fossil remains of the "Peking Man" were found or, scientifically speaking, Homo erectus pekinensis, which is one of the earliest fossils belonging to the human species. This likely ancestor would have lived more than 400 thousand years and walked erect.

In eastern China are two rivers, Yangtze-Kiang and Huang-Ho, also known as the Yellow River. This second was responsible for the development of agriculture and the emergence of cities in the region. It becomes very shallow and sandy during droughts, and after the rains it fills and covers the plains. This dynamics irrigated the lands and the peasants could plant in the dry season. It was believed that in this territory the whole Chinese civilization would have been given, but recently the surveys revealed to the historians that this was only one of the centers of diffusion which gave birth to Chinese civilization.

Chinese Dynasties
China was governed by different lineages of kings and emperors, because of this, it is customary to divide the history of Ancient China based on the periods of government of each dynasty.

The first five Chinese dynasties were:

1. Xia Dynasty, 2205-1818 BC
The existence of this dynasty is controversial among historians, so it is not known whether it really existed.

2. Shang Dynasty, 1500-1050 BC
Although some historians doubted the existence of this dynasty, some recent archaeological discoveries proved their existence. Bronze objects, inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells, and graves were found. The writings found concerning the period of the Shang dynasty are considered the earliest written records of Chinese history.

3. Zhou Dynasty, 1050-256 BC
The Zhou overthrew the Shang and seized power. They were of a powerful family and had the custom of distributing lands to their allies. They were supported by noble and wealthy families, and each of these families ruled a province.

With the passage of time and the growth of these provinces, China ended up being divided into seven principalities. In a short time, they entered into war with each other, a period known as the "Time of the Warring States," which was defeated by the first kingdom of Qin.

4. Qin Dynasty, 221-207 a.C.
The king of Qin, after defeating the Zhou dynasty, conquered one territory after another and made his kingdom grow. He reached the point of conquering almost all of