Location:
China
Coordinates:
35.0000, 105.0000
Events at China (15)
2000 BC
ID: 5773
Apples spread along Silk Road from Kazakhstan - traders carry seeds, natural hybridization creates sweeter varieties
ID: 5773
500 BC
ID: 261
Laozi writes Tao Te Ching (traditional date) - way of nature, wu wei (non-action), yin-yang
ID: 261
500 BC
ID: 4453
Chinese develop suanpan abacus - more advanced with 2 beads above bar and 5 below, enables hexadecimal calculation
ID: 4453
479 BC
ID: 234
Death of Confucius - leaves behind ethical system based on ren (humaneness) and li (ritual propriety)
ID: 234
372 BC
ID: 305
Mencius born - develops Confucianism, human nature inherently good, mandate of heaven
ID: 305
350 BC
ID: 306
Zhuangzi writes on Taoism - butterfly dream, relativism, spontaneity, humor in philosophy
ID: 306
350 BC
ID: 319
Shang Yang's reforms in Qin - Legalist policies that will enable China's unification
ID: 319
214 BC
ID: 4701
Great Wall connected - Qin Shi Huang links earlier walls into unified defense system
ID: 4701
868
ID: 4713
Diamond Sutra printed - world's oldest dated printed book, woodblock printing
ID: 4713
1280
ID: 5740
Marco Polo reports Java's pepper abundance - describes ships loading 6,000 baskets of pepper, Europeans dream of direct access
ID: 5740
1433
ID: 4720
China ends naval exploration - last Zheng He voyage, China turns inward
ID: 4720
1650
ID: 5730
Chilies spread along Silk Road to Central Asia - valued for food preservation in harsh climates, transforms nomadic cuisines
ID: 5730
1700
ID: 5721
Chinese begin mixing tobacco with opium for smoking - creates more addictive combination, accelerates opium crisis
ID: 5721
1700
ID: 5722
Hunan province develops distinct chili cuisine - 'gan la' (dry spicy) style using chilies for preservation and flavor
ID: 5722
1700
ID: 5731
Most Asian societies prohibit women from smoking tobacco - creates gendered smoking culture that persists centuries
ID: 5731