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Title H story, Religion, and Tradition T he ancient Chinese believed their home was the center of the world, a “Middle Kingdom,” which they called Zhongguo. Over time, the Chinese created a massive empire that ushered in a golden age of art, politics, science, and technical innovation. In a span of about 5,000 years, the Chinese succeeded in creating a thriving society that gave the world gunpowder, the magnetic compass, paper, printing, and other discoveries. Long before those achievements, however, China’s first communities were scattered along the country’s river valleys, most notably the Huang He, or Yel- low River. It is along the Huang He that Neolithic (New Stone Age) farmers found fertile soil and built permanent settlements to exploit the river’s natural resources and cultivate crops such as millet, a type of grain.

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CHAPTER ONE: HISTORY, RELIGION, AND TRADITION