Pusyamitra

Hello all,

I was wondering if the Chinese claim to have had an unbroken chain of civilization of 5000 years holds merit. From what I have researched, civilization in China (meaning cities) starts around 1700-1500 BCE?

I would love the input of our scholarly members here!

Gorge123

yeah, well i dont think china is 5000 years old.... but more like 4000 years old, China is the only longest EXISTING civilization, what do you mean by unroken chain of civilization???

funakison

Civilization does not mean living in cities.

RollingWave

Confirmable written history starts around the Shang dynasty which starts around 1600 BC (though the first couple hundred year's confirmability is not complete), which puts Chinese written history at around 3500 years, 5000 years is assuming that the now still unconfirmed eras before that were all true as well. which is obviously somewhat dubious as a good part of it were rather mythical. though the Xia dynasty may not be. which would put Chinese history closer to 4000 years.

5000 years is stretching it, but not by that much.

fangqingming

chinese ancient historical classic recorded more early cities, but current archaeology can't give enough surpport, so there have different calculate about time difference.

redsonata

Only one of the world's ancient culture has had any real vitality today, it's in the descendants and one country
dominates the world for nearly 5000 years...China! Lots of foreigner say you Chinese are you all insane? Your country is crappy,
what makes you think you should, will be number one? And that's what the Chinese have in mind.

Wenge

Only one of the ancient cultures has vitality today? Isn't India one of the ancient cultures?

avantivarman

Indian culture is the oldest culture and it is needless to dwell at length onthis as if anyone does not know about indian weddings, cow worship and sanskrit mantras all go to before1500 bc so i do not understand what some pathetic posters mean bysaying china isonly ancient culture that has any vitality even today.

to illustrate one example, VKSaraswat the head of icbm of india still worships in a manner that can betrac3ed to 1700 bc.



i am too busy these days and once ireturn, i will take up this topic in a more comprehernsive way

fangqingming

Isn't Egypt more old?

kauchenvinci-0

but it did end at a point and took a completely new form unlike China and India !
I think that is what it meant continuity in civilization !