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Ancient China was a place where dragons ruled the skies and oceans. They were not the beasts of European legend. They were

divine creatures that people prayed to for rain, which brought luck, prosperity, and longevity. They actually were supposed to live in

water, which, I guess, discounts the fire-breathing thing. People believed that dragons played in rivers and caused the water to jump

and flood the towns. They cause rain when they are in the clouds, and, as a result, farmers prayed to them in droughts.

The dragon is described to have the head of a camel, 117 scales of carp, the horns of a deer, eyes of a demon, ears of a bull, neck

of a snake, belly of a clam, paws of a tiger, and claws of an eagle. (Yikes.) Most dragons were depicted with four claws. A dragon

with five claws represented the emperor, and anyone who displayed a five-clawed dragon on clothing or decoration would be

condemned to death. People believed that emperors were descendants of dragons. Many Chinese people refer to themselves as

"descendants of the dragon."

China had a patriarchal society. The father had authority over his wife and children. A woman would obey her father, husband, and, if

widowed, her sons. Male babies were held in more esteem than girls. Sometimes baby girls would be left outside to die or be

drowned. Only boys went to school, but still very few were able to go because so many were poor. Those who were rich enough

learned calligraphy and Confucius’ teachings. Those who weren't rich enough worked in fields farming at young ages. Women

usually worked in their homes weaving cotton. In the north, crops such as wheat and millet were grown, and in the south, rice was

grown. Peanuts, maize, and sweet potatoes were introduced in the sixteenth century. Rich people had rice and wheat, plenty of

meat like pork, and, as well as yams, beans, onions, garlic, and plenty of fish. Shark fin was made into soup and eaten by rich

people. Meat was expensive, and Buddhists didn't eat meat, so people put tofu, or bean curd, in with their rice for protein. Famine

occurred at times and poor people were often left to survive on what they had, or to starve.

Even when women were coming into power, people found excuses in everything, making political points using religion. Scholars

would say that floods were a yin or female force and happened because a woman was in power. Confucius himself said that a

woman’s most important job is rearing silkworm and working cloth. Next to that in importance would be preparing and serving food

for her family.

Religion in China consisted mainly of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Tao means ‘the way’ or ‘the path.’ The founder of

Taoism is credited to Lao Tzu, who lived in the sixth century BC. He believed that the way to freedom and truth is through simplicity.

Lao Tzu said: "The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth." (Tao-te Ching) The Tao-Te Ching is one of the most

translated books, next to the Bible.

Ancestor Worship and Worship of the Spirits of Nature were two important parts of Chinese religion. People believed that a person

began with two souls: the po, or animal soul, and the hun, the personality soul. When a person died, people believed that the hun

lived on, and they gave sacrifices to the deceased. A po that is ignored may become a demon, or gui, and haunt the living. Worship

of Spirits is the belief that spirits exist in everything, not only humans, and that spirits live on after death, and can affect the living's

fortune. The Chinese government has changed over time because of the various dynasties that have ruled the country. China's first

imperial dynasty was the Qin. When the Qin Dynasty was in power, Legalism was rising. Legalism means harsh punishments even

for minor crimes. Legalists believed that reading was not productive, but farming/weaving was. They believed that activities other than

those were useless. The Qin was succeeded by the Han, China's second imperial dynasty. China changed under Mongol rule. The

Mongols did not support Confucianism, and Neo-Confucianism, which was founded during the Song Dynasty, eventually took over.

This is basically like a mixture of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The Chinese culture still survived under the Mongolian rule.

China's last dynasty was the Qing Dynasty, and was followed by the Republic of China. During the eighteenth century, China was

the largest, richest, and most well-governed state in the world. China today is a Communist government, which means the

government controls the distribution of resources, owns all land, and that there are no class divisions, so everyone is basically equal.