Ancient China Diary By hamish, bailey and brandon
Dear diary,
I am terrified, not knowing what to expect. I don't even know where I am! Allow me to explain. So, I went to sleep last night and I was having a spectacular dream about being a warrior in Ancinet China. Then suddenly I woke up my heart beating so fast that I thought it was going to pounce out of my chest. I jumped out of bed. I was no longer in my room. I was on a gigantic trading ship heading down the Yangzi River. I pinch myself. Nothing happens. This is not a dream anymore. This is reality! I slip my hands into my pockets. There is a folded up piece of paper inside. I take it out and hold it up to my sleepy eyes. It reads;
"I the great God Fei Lian' have selected you to correctly represent this civilization in the modern world. I have been concerned that there are a lot of untruths about this wonderful civilization and I need your help to (as you 21st Century people say) ‘set the record straight’. I have had my eye on you for quite some time and believe you are up to the task. You will not be allowed back to your time until it is completed. Once you have read this parchment, your clothes will become that of a wealthy trader (we can’t have you wandering around history in your pyjamas, can we!), you will understand the language and way of life as if you were born to the era. You will not lose your sense of self and will be able to see, hear and experience the culture in which you are now immersed. Please remember that if you do not complete the tasks you will never return! I have granted you, as I am a benevolent God, one modern device to help you on your journey. You will find under a sack of grain to the left of where you are standing an iPad. This may help you when you present your findings."
Stop 1: Daily Life
Dear Diary, we just reached land the Chinese man who was rowing the boat told me that we have arrived at Chongquin. He had a very strong accent, but I'm sure that's what he said. He dropped me off in town. The people here seem quite friendly and the Chinese villager who sailed me through the Yangtze River handed me some Ancient Chinese clothing. He said the God Fei Lian left them for me. The clothes that they wear are quite intricate. Mainly robes, and the women wear long tunics. Men wear tunics as well that reach their knees. They are nice and loose too, so the warm climate is not an issue. I think tonight I am going to go out and explore the town a bit more, maybe even go and try some foods.
Dear Diary,
I went out exploring the villages tonight. It was very interesting to see how the Ancinet Chinese people live. The housing here seemed to be separated by people's wealth. The poor villagers here live in small one storey houses with a thatched roof. They only have one room to share with their whole family! The wealthier people's houses have no windows, and only one door. They have an inner courtyard too. I couldn't live here forever though. They don't even have cable TV! How shocking is that. Not even any wifi or computers. It must be so painful to live here...
Dear diary, I went to a Chinese food market tonight. The ancient Chinese seem to have a very healthy diet. They eat a little meat or fish served with a lot of vegetables. They eat duck, turtle, fish and eggs. Rice and noodles are both popular, and the ancient Chinese citizens love them. While talking to one of the salesmen, he told me that legend says, around 2737 BCE, a Chinese Emperor was sitting his garden. He had a pot of water. A leaf fell off a bush and landed into the pot of water, thus creating tea. How amazing is that!
Stop 2: Cultural Event
Dear diary,
It is now my second day in China. While I was getting ready to go to sleep last night, I heard lots of loud 'Bangs' and 'Crashes' there were people cheering and yelling out and there was lots of noise and excitement going on. So I decided to go out and see what all the excitement was about. It turns out that the most important festival of the year was going on- the 'Spring Festival' also known as the 'Chinese New Year.' I met a man named Liu Jun. He gave me all the information that I needed to know about the special event. He informed me that the entire celebration lasts for 15 days. It starts with the first day of the New Year and ends with the Lantern Festival. Apparently, the Ancient Chinese have celebrated the Spring Festival as far back as the Shang Dynasty over 3000 years ago. According to Chinese mythology the celebration first started when a small village used the noise of firecrackers and drums to scare off the monster Nian. (No wonder I couldn't get to sleep) The Spring Festival is a time for getting together with family, exchanging gifts, and lighting fireworks. The color red is also popular as it was used to help scare off the monster Nian. I guess I came at the right time! There is going to be celebrations and parties all week!
Stop 3: Technological advancement (inventions)
Today I was walking through town. There were people cheering and celebrating, as the creation of 'Gun Powder' had just been discovered and brought into the lives of ancient Chinese citizens. It was Discovered when the Chinese were looking for a drug that would give the emperor eternal life. I learnt that the gunpowder is used in fireworks. Gunpowder is an invention that has brought a spark to the Ancinet Chinese people's lives. It lets them kick off their celebrations with a 'bang' (literally) and gives them the ability to make more advanced weaponry.
Stop 4: centre of government
Today I visited the 'Great Hall Of The People' in Beijing. As it is a very formal event and place, I had to buy a nice suit for the occassion. This is where the centre of the government is based as well as meetings, take place and records are stored. Today they were discussing following topic; Emperor Wendi opens the grand canal to transport people, grain and silk. What a day to visit! I met a wise elderly villager there. He took me through the building and tal to me about the records and archives that are stored in the 'Great Hall' and told me everything that I needed to know about Ancient China. "Ancient China started off as sparsely spread villages throughout now day China, with each having a single chief or leader. It continued like this until 1800BC, when the first dynasty began. It was called the Shang dynasty, and it united China under one ruler, the Emperor. Under the Emperor were kings, who controlled regions and lords, who controlled towns and villagers. Lords also rented out houses for large rates." -He was a very kind an intelligent man.
Stop 5: Visiting Trading Port
Dear Diary,
I went to a trading port today. The China's coastal ports enable the transportation of coal, containers, imported iron ore and grain; roll-on-roll-off operations between mainland and islands- and deep water access to the sea. Today they were trading with India. The people there were very productive and they seemed to be working hard. The trading ships were huge! And there were multiple shipping containers all packed up as well. It was very busy!
Stop 6: Culture and religion
The Death/afterlife:
Dear Diary, Today I went to one of the villages elders funeral. As I don't know much about ancient Chinese funerals, deaths and afterlife, I decided to go up to one of the ancestors after the ceremony, to find out some information on the Chinese religion, culture and afterlife. He told me that the ancient Chinese people believed that a person must be responsible for their own lives to confirm an easy peaceful afterlife. The belief was that ancestors sacrificed things for the satisfaction of future generations, and that sacrificing for one's children while alive would please the ancestors. After the funeral I left to go home; I felt like I learnt a lot that day and to me, it was quite successful.
Gods:
As I was interested even more in the religion after speaking to the man, I decided to go to a spiritual speaker to learn about the gods. He said; "Most of the gods represent the weather or other natural things like the sun, the moon or the rain. For example, the goddess Ba or the daughter of Heaven, is a drought (she's what drought would look like, if drought were a person). Fei Lian and Feng Po Po are wind gods. Lei-Kung and Lei-zi are the gods of thunder and lightning, Gong gong is the god of floods and so on. But there was other gods meant for the smaller things like the God of a river or a mountain." Wow! Learning about the gods is spectacular!
Timeline:
Social Pyramid:
Map:
Bibliography:
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