ABSTRACT
China brought the world major developments in science and technology, art, architecture, literature, writing systems, government systems, philosophy and religion. The country is geographically diverse and mountainous, particularly in the west, with high plateaus and desert areas. China’s rivers, including the Yellow and Yangzi rivers, flow eastward from the high mountains into the plains and on to the China Sea. The kings of the Zhou dynasty were the first to use the political and religious doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven, the belief that a just ruler is given a blessing to rule directly from heaven. A series of rebellions led by ethnic tribal groups, referred to as the Uprising of the Five Barbarians, overthrew the Jin dynasty and established their own kingdoms in the north. The Ming dynasty is an important dynasty in Chinese history. Over the 276 years of the Ming dynasty, 17 emperors ruled and China’s population doubled.
