Chinese Americans

Chinese Americans — page 1
CHAPTER ONE China and the Chinese People China is a huge country in East Asia stretching from the East China Sea into the interior of Asia The Chinese first settled thousands of years ago along rivers in the eastern part of the country They used the rich soil to grow crops like wheat and rice The land produced lots of food and the population grew Many separate kingdoms arose Building an Empire About 2,200 years ago one of those kings conquered the others His name was Shi Huangdi and he took the title Emperor For more than two thousand years China was ruled by powerful emperors Sons came after fathers and were followed by their sons This string of rulers from the same family is called a dynasty Several dynasties ruled China for hundreds of years Over time China developed into a brilliant civilization Craftspeople made beautiful silk clothing and delicate pottery Inventors made the first gunpowder coins paper and printing presses The philosopher Confucius taught his followers how to 4