china

Great Wall of China

A series of fortifications built to protect the border of China.

Confucianism

A traditional Chinese value system that emphasizes the importance of education and hierarchy, with leaders above people and men above women.

Yuan Dynasty

The dynasty established by the Mongols in China in the 13th century, during which foreign rulers governed China.

Kublai Khan

The Mongol leader who controlled the Yuan Dynasty and attempted to integrate with Chinese culture.

Civil Service Exam

An examination system in China that allowed citizens to gain bureaucratic positions and social mobility based on merit.

Zheng He

A Chinese explorer who led maritime expeditions in the Indian Ocean during the Ming Dynasty.

Opium War

A conflict between Britain and China in the mid-19th century, initiated by Britain's opium trade in China.

Treaty of Nanjing

A treaty that ended the Opium War, giving Britain access to additional ports in China and control of Hong Kong.

Taiping Rebellion

A massive civil war in China (1850-1864) led by the Taiping movement against the Qing Dynasty due to discontent with foreign influence.

Boxer Rebellion

An anti-foreign uprising in China in 1900, targeted at Western and Japanese influence, which led to foreign intervention.

Sun Yat-sen

Leader of the 1911 revolution that ended the Qing Dynasty, advocating for modernization and unification in China.

Sino-Japanese War

A conflict between China and Japan from 1931 to 1945, marked by Japan's invasion and occupation of northern China.

People's Republic of China

The communist state established by Mao Zedong in 1949 after winning the Chinese Civil War.

The Great Leap Forward

Mao's economic policy implemented in 1958, aimed at rapidly transforming China into a socialist society but resulted in mass famine.

Cultural Revolution

A sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 to 1976 initiated by Mao to enforce communism by removing capitalist elements from society.

Deng Xiaoping

The Chinese leader who succeeded Mao and implemented economic reforms shifting China from a strictly communist economy to a more market-oriented one.

Tiananmen Square

The site of a pro-democracy protest in 1989 in China, which ended with military intervention and a violent crackdown on demonstrators.

Urbanization

The process of farmers moving into cities to become factory workers, significantly changing China's demographics under Deng Xiaoping's reforms.