Library Home: History: Ancient China

Web Links

China - Dynasties on Delicious
Links on the SHGC Delicious account with the tag China_dynasties.
Tang tomb figures
Why would a general be buried with pottery figures? The answer has to do with belief in an afterlife.
Objects from Ancient & Imperial China
Pictures and information about a range of objects associated with Ancient & Imperial China.
Ancient China @ the British Museum
- Crafts & artisans
- Geography
- Time
- Tombs & ancestors
- Writing
Ancient China - School District #71 eLibrary
Web links to a huge range of resources covering government, religion, daily life, inventions, geography and many other topics.
Chinese history - Dynasty
Information from Mr Dowling about Ancient China. Includes maps, a game & images. Read the information online or listen to the podcast.
Ancient China for kids
Mr Donn's site that's jam-packed with information, powerpoints, images and all sorts of useful stuff.

Library Webs

Educational Internet Resources

PowerPoints on Ancient China

Imperialist China - From Qin to Ming, Pt. 1
Powerpoint created by Susan M. Pojer, Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua N.Y.
Imperialist China - From Qin to Ming pt. 2
Powerpoint created by Susan M. Pojer, Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua N.Y.

Chinese Dynasties Chart

Chinese Dynasties Chart
Public Domain document originally created by Chris Wallace.

Public Domain document by Chris Wallace.

Use the appropriate page from the pdf below to note the results of your research into your chosen Dynasty. Sections include: dates, technology, military, social structure and gender roles.

ABC Splash! Videos

Ancient China videos from ABC Splash!

What the Ancients Knew - Science Channel Documentary

What the Ancients Knew : The Chinese ... a 50 minute, 2005 documentary from the Science Channel.

Great Wall of China Panorama

Books in the SHGC Library

Ancient China by Tony Allan
Call Number: 931 ALL
Publication Date: 2007
A comprehensive introduction to the world's oldest living civilisation. This useful resource draws on maps, documents, and works of art.
Ancient China Inside Out by Kelly Spence
Call Number: 931 SPE
Publication Date: 2017
Explores the culture and achievements of ancient China through examination of of artifacts that have survived through the centuries. Each artifact offers clues to the civilization's technologies, cultural traditions, foods, and conflicts.
Shang Dynasty China by Tracey Kelly
Call Number: 931.02 KEL
Publication Date: 2016
Examines how their civilisation developed around the Yellow River Valley and looks at what evidence is available for us to see today.
China and the Shang dynasty by Jillian Powell
Call Number: 931.02 POW
Publication Date: 2016
Explores the world of the Shang Dynasty - including bronze weapons and objects made in Bronze Age, houses and cities they built, why burials and ancestors were important
Everyday life : inside ancient China by Anita Croy
Call Number: 931 CRO
Publication Date: 2009
Contents include:
- Food and drink - Clothes and jewelry - At home - Family life - Fun and games
The Ancient History of China by Sheila Hollihan-Elliot; Jianwei Wang (Editor)
Call Number: 931 HOL
Publication Date: 2012
Relates the story of China's early Bronze and Iron Age cultures, the periods of warfare that precede the unification of the country in third century BC; introduces influential figures such as Confucius and emperor Shi Huang Di who built the Great Wall.
Legacies from Ancient China by Anita Ganeri
Call Number: 931 GAN
Publication Date: 2003
The ancient Chinese lived thousands of years ago, but the legacy of their amazing culture lives on today. Paper and printing, the compass, feats of engineering, gunpowder and porcelain are all parts of this legacy.
Government and society : inside ancient China by Alastair Morrison
Call Number: 931 MOR
Publication Date: 2009
Contents include:
- Early China - China's golden age - Power of the Emperor - Going to war - Society in action
Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors by Ann Paludan
Call Number: 931 PAL
Publication Date: 2009
- Biographical accounts of all the emperors - Timelines - Datafiles for every emperor - Quotations from contemporary sources - 368 illustrations, 126 in colour
Wicked warriors and evil emperors by Alison Lloyd
Call Number: 931.04 LLO
Publication Date: 2010
A legendary story of bloody battles, dirty tricks and dangerous people ... and it's all true!
China by Arthur Cotterell
Call Number: 951 COT
Publication Date: 2006
Be an eyewitness to the story of an incredible land and its people, from Bronze Age beginnings to the end of the great Qing empire in the 20th century.
China : land of dragons and emperors by Adeline Yen Mah
Call Number: 951 MAH
Publication Date: 2008
Do you know why the opening time of the Beijing Olympics was set at 8.08pm on 8 August 2008? Or what are the secrets guarded by the silent terracotta army inside the first Chinese emperor's tomb?

Great Wall of China - Discovery Atlas Documentary

China revealed : the great wall ... a 2:27 minute, documentary from Discovery Atlas. Other short videos in the series include: Fireworks, Architecture, Paper trail, & Silk Road.

Beijing and the Forbidden City Panorama

China : engineering an empire

China : engineering an empire - a 44 minute documentary from the History Channel

Magazine Articles

To read these articles you will need to create a FREE National Geographic account. Use your College email address to sign up.

National Geographic Oct. 2001

Rising to life : treasures of Ancient China by Peter Hessler, p. 48

National Geographic Jul. 2003

The new story of China's ancient past by Peter Hessler, p. 56

National Geographic, Jun. 2012

Terra-cotta army : true colours by Brooke Larmer

Click here to locate other National Geographic Magazine articles to do with Ancient China.

A lady from China's past
National Geographic article from May 1974 detailing the discovery of an ancient tomb
The first Emperor's army : China's incredible find
National Geographic article from April 1978.

Fiction in the SHGC Library

Battle of the jade horse by Alison Lloyd
Call Number: F LLO
In China's wild north-west a mob of bandits challenge the Emperor's rule.
Spirit hunter by Katy Moran
Call Number: F MOR
Two empires are at war. this time, the Empress of China is sure she will destroy the Horse Tribes for ever. She sends a deadly weapon ...
Dragonkeeper series by Carole Wilkinson
Call Number: F WIL
Ancient China. Han Dynasty. A slave girl saves the life of an ageing dragon and escapes her brutal master. Pursued by a ruthless dragon hunter, the girl and the dragon make an epic journey across China carrying a mysterious stone that must be protected.
Lady of Ch'Iao Kuo by Laurence Yep
Call Number: F YEP
Part of the Royal Diaries series. ... there was a time when the Chinese could just make up stories and write them down. They didn't have to be afraid of enemies attacking.
The kite rider by Geraldine McCaughrean
Call Number: F MCC
The amazing story of Haoyou, strapped to a kite and sent to fly among the clouds and the spirits of the dead. ... full of the sights, sounds and smells of Ancient China ...