The Xia Dynasty
Overview
There are ancient accounts about the history of a small kingdom along the Yellow River that existed from about 2,000 BC to 1,600 BC. The main ancient accounts are in the Records of the Grand Historian (史記) that were written between about 109 BC and 91 BC by Sima Qian and another textthat is called the Bamboo Annals (竹書紀年) that was a text that was said to have been buried with the King of Wei who died in 296 BC and was rediscovered in 281 AD during the Jin Dynasty. The text was written on flat pieces of bamboo, and this is why it is called the Bamboo Annals. Are these accounts accurate? It is said that the Xia Dynasty people didn't keep written records, but that their histories were passed orally. Archeologists …show more content…

Warfare activities were never an earnest impediment for international trade between the Tangut empire and its neighbors. There existed special frontiers markets (quechang 榷場, smaller markets called heshi 和市) to supply the needs of the own country and to export national products. A special kind of exchange of goods were the so-called tributary presents that the Western Xia presented to the mightier neighbors, either the Liao, Jin, or Song. In turn, the Xia embassadors and tradepeople obtained goods from China, like silk, gauze, incense and medicine, porcelain, lacquerware, ginger, and so on. Except of kettle and depending products like wool, fabric, felt, and leather, the Xia empire exported salt (later prohibited for Chinese import), jade, honey, rhubarb (daihuang 大黃), musk, and herbs. Although barter trade was common an wide areas, the Xia emperors had casted (not minted!) their own coins
神 (god) (of) 水 (water) 於 (Yu) 偉大的控制器 (the great controller)
Chinese civilization started around 10,000 BCE, when a group called the Yangshao (yahng show) settled near the Huang He River. Archaeologists have uncovered many Yangshao villages in northern China. In one village, they found the remains of farmhouses, built partly underground, with plaster floors, and roofs held up with wooden posts.
About 3,000 BCE, another farming group appeared, the Lungshan people. The Lungshan were very advanced for their time. They harvested