Because the Mongols controlled the entire length of the Silk Road, international trade thrived.
The Shang ruler was a kind of priest-king, known as the Son of Heaven. He was believed to be vested with all earthly power and was expected to maintain good relations between the worldly and heavenly realms. The spirits of the royal ancestors were consulted for every important decision. The king alone possessed the authority to ask for their blessings, and the held the power to ward off ancestral ill will.
A Chinese dragon has the head of a camel, the horns of a stag, the eyes of a demon, the scales of a fish, the claws of an eagle, the pads of a tiger, the ears of a bull, and the long whiskers of a cat. It can make itself as small as a silkworm or large enough to overshadow the world.
At each level, only a few candidates passed. They answered questions on the Confucian classics, whose 431K words had to be learned by heart. Reform of the curriculum was strongly opposed and it hardly changed through the centuries.
The Chinese invented the wheelbarrow between 221BC and 265AD during the period of the Three Kingdoms. This large handcart enabled a single person to transport a heavy load, which led to its Chinese name, the “wooden ox.”
In the 20th century, doctors have discovered that acupuncture can be used as an anesthetic for surgery. When acupuncture is used during an operation, the patient remains conscious and feels little or no pain. Scientists believe acupuncture works by stimulating the release of endorphins, the brain’s natural painkillers.
Delicious dishes banish tablets and pills. Nourishing food is the drug for all ills.
After the great peasant rebellion that toppled the Qin dynasty in 207BC, most emperors were careful not to overburden their rural subjects.
For most of the year ordinary people lived on a simple diet of beans, grains, and vegetables, with little meat.
Beans were an important source of protein for the Chinese — soy beans contain more protein than any other plant or animal food.
Most Chinese people worked from dawn to dusk every day with no regular days off.
The Romans, knew China as Serica, which means “Land of Silk.”