- Starting with the earliest, we have the Xia Dynasty (which ruled from 1944 B.C.E. [Before Common Era] up to 1766 B.C.E.). Dynasties mainly consisted of families who wanted to take up control of their areas (and in the case of the Xia, it was the Huang River valley), and subsequently China had many families doing this.
- The next one is the Shang Dynasty (ruling from 1766 B.C.E. to 1027 B.C.E.). "This dynasty was based on agriculture; millet, wheat, and barley were the primary crops grown. In addition to the crops, silkworms, pigs, dogs, sheep, and oxen were raised. Aside from their agricultural prowess, the Shang dynasty was also advanced in metallurgy. Bronze ships, weapons, and tools were found from that era."
- Next we have the Zhou Dynasty (ruling from 1122 B.C.E. to 256 B.C.E.). The Zhou Dynasty was said to have been so large, that not even its rulers could keep a handle on all of its vastness. "Because of this, the leaders decided to appoint people to oversee each of the territories. The territories started off as walled off cities. The leader of each of the territories were the lords, each receiving the title through inheritance. Next in the hierarchy were the fighting men, followed by the peasants and the domestic slaves. Soon, these territories became more independent, eventually breaking away from the main Zhou dynasty leaders."
- The Chinese form of government today-in the People's Republic of China-is Communism. This form of governing came about in 1949 when the man by the name of Mao (REMEMBER HIM?) declared it. Communism is a complicated term in itself, but the basics exist around supporting the working class (those who labor and are not wearing fancy business suits or work in air conditioned offices). When the working class is being oppressed by other forms of power (whether foreign or local), then having Communism on their side ensured that they would have the kind of rights they had been withheld from. One form of working class (peasants) oppression was land not being evenly distributed or completely withheld all together. When Confucianism was introduced (to which I will explain this form of education in a later "stop") people sought chances to move up from their present class, and subsequently so did the land owners. Once a land owner passed the test issued by Confucianism, and they moved up, they left behind the peasants. This is where Communism can really do its job, by making government in control evenly distribute land amongst the peasants-and give none to those who were unfair to the working class.
This is a picture of Mao Zedong:
