Fine artistic works of bronz and semi-precious stones, were 

 produced, as also was some great poetry. But lack of a 

 strong central government resulted in disturbances at times. 

 The basic present-day philosophies of China arose in the 

 sixth century B.C. with the teachings of two very wise men, 

 Lao Tse (590 B.C.) and Confucius (550 B.C.). In this 

 Golden Age of Chinese philosophy these men set forth cer- 

 tain beliefs and principles of behavior which accorded well 

 with the already prevailing tenets of ancestor worship held 

 by the Chinese. Lao Tse advocated a somewhat mystical 

 passive belief in the harmony of nature, which does not 

 encourage much advance. But Confucius, whose descend- 

 ants living today can trace their line back for over seventy 

 generations (the longest known human descent), advanced 

 a more active manner of living. In essence, Confucius taught 

 that the intelligent man should always behave wisely ac- 

 cording to his knowledge, implying a strict moral code. 

 This idea is a forerunner of a philosophy based on scien- 

 tific knowledge known to ourselves today. However, Con- 

 fucianism does not significantly encourage the increase 

 of knowledge, in contradistinction with modem science. 

 In the succeeding Ch'in Dynasty (c. 400 B.C. to c. 100 

 B.C.) a strong central government replaced the weak 

 Chou government, and the Great Wall of China was 

 built to halt repeated northern invaders This construction, 

 approximately 2000 miles long, about 20 feet wide, and 

 15 feet high, is the largest man-made object on the Earth, 

 although the Panama Canal required a greater excavation 

 of material than is contained in the Great Wall. The next 

 period of Chinese history, the Han Dynasty (c. 100 B.C. to 

 c. 300 A.D.) saw the foundation of institutions for the 

 education of the upper classes, and the initiation of the 

 first permanent Civil Service (the Mandarins) for the 



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