Dedicated to the style of the Orient
The website “Oriental Style” is dedicated to ancient Chinese civilization. This website attaches importance to show the soul of ancient Chinese people. If you read many essays on the website, you may understand the values of ancient Oriental people. And you will find that the essential humanistic principles of the Orient and the Occident are harmonious, and they don’t have conflicts.
Here you can understand free mind and people-based thoughts of the Huaxia states; you may read the stories of loyal people; you may be touched by the faithful love of passionate youth; you may feel how the Zhou Kingdom and the Han Dynasty formed the characteristics of Chinese people. And, you will understand a great word from people who lived 2500 years ago, “Harmony instead of sameness.”
Origin of the Chinese nation
About 4300 years ago, in the areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, which are called the Central Plains, there were a lot of tribes. The tribes were developed to city states. There were a lot of lost stories because the tribes had no writing system. The Chinese writing system was first found in the ruins of the Shang Dynasty, which were from the thirteenth century BC. In the eleventh century BC, the Zhou Kingdom was founded. The great dynasty built a complete feudal system and shaped the cultural identity of the nation.
In the memory of people who lived in the Zhou Dynasty, there was the Xia Dynasty before the Shang Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty was founded by Qi, the son of Yu. In the Chinese myth about a great flood, Yu led people to regulate rivers, and by their efforts the flood eventually receded.
In the Zhou Dynasty, the royal family and most of the feudal states called themselves Hua, which means flowers and beauty, as well as Xia, which means greatness. So the nation became known as the name Huaxia. People were proud of their nation, and called their states “the central states”.
The Han Dynasty, which was created in 206 BC, stabilized its central authority and accepted transformed Confucianism as its ruling ideology. In the later period of the dynasty, Buddhism was introduced to the land, while Taoism was also born. The dynasty was so influential that other peoples later started to call the Huaxia people Han. This is why we are called Han Chinese today.
Fascinating History and Culture of China
Max Weber said, “In the traits relevant for us, the further back one goes in history the more similar the Chinese and Chinese culture appear to what is found in the Occident. The old popular beliefs, the old anchorets, the oldest songs of the Shih Ching, the old warrior kings, the antagonisms of the philosophical schools, feudalism, the beginnings of capitalist developments in the Period of the Warring States – all of which are considered characteristic – are more closely related to occidental phenomena than are the traits of Confucian China.” Ancient Han people also admired the Romans and said, “They are high in stature, elegant in manners, and honest in morality, so they are similar to us Chinese.” Thus, it can be seen that universal values are applicable to not only the Occident, but also the Orient.
On this website, ancient Chinese history is distinguished as three stages. The age of myths is from the far remote times to the Shang Dynasty, the age of feudal states is the Zhou Dynasty, and the age of empires is from the Qin Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. You can see the vivid and magnificent historical scenes of ancient China. And you will know about the traditional clothing, architectural styles, and proprieties and customs of the Han Chinese people.
What our ancestors did in life will echo in eternity. Ancient Chinese people left resplendent cultural heritage for human civilization. When we read impressive stories of women and men from ancient books, or when we visit historic sites and historical museums, we can feel the eternal style of our ancestors.
