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According to ancient stories, a series of kings ruled early China. Around 2200 BC one of them, Yu the Great, is said to have founded the Xia (SHAH) dynasty. Writers told of terrible floods during
Yu's lifetime. According to these accounts, Yu dug channels to drain the water to the ocean.

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The first dynasty for which we have clear evidence is the Shang, which was firmly established by the 1500s BC. Strongest in the Huang He Valley, the Shang ruled a broad area of northern China. Shang rulers moved their capital several times, probably to avoid floods or attack by enemies. The social order became more organized under the Shang. The Shang made many advances,
including China's first writing system. This system used more than 2,000 symbols to express words or ideas.

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In the 1100s BC the leaders of a people who came to be known
as the Zhou (JOH) ruled over a kingdom in China. They joined
with other nearby tribes and attacked and overthrew the Shang dynasty. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history.
The Zhou established a new political order. The Zhou king  granted plots of land to lords , or people of high rank. Lords paid
taxes and provided soldiers to the king as needed. During the warring states of China there was a lack of a strong government to stop  struggle for power within the ruling class family. Chinese society fell in a certain period disorder. The Zhou system brought order to China. Ruling through lords helped the Zhou control distant areas and helped ensure loyalty to the king. Over time, however, the political order broke down. Lords passed their power to their sons, who were less loyal to the king. Local rulers gained power. They began to reject the authority of the Zhou kings.

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In 221 BC, the Qin king Ying Zheng succeeded in unifying China. He gave himself the title Shi Huangdi (SHEE hwahng-dee), which means "first emperor." Shi Huangdi followed Legalist political beliefs. He created a strong government with strict laws and harsh punishments.
To control China, Shi Huangdi divided it into districts, each with its own governor. Districts were subdivided into counties that were governed by appointed officials. This organization helped the emperor enforce his tax system. Hoping to stop the nomads, the emperor built the Great Wall, a barrier that connected the previous walls across China's northern border.

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When the Qin dynasty collapsed in 207 BC, several different groups battled for power. After several years of fighting, an army led by Liu Bang (lee-oo bang) won control. Liu Bang became the first emperor of the Han dynasty. This Chinese dynasty lasted for more than 400 years. The Han period was a time of great social change in China. Social Classes based on the Confucian system, people were divided into four classes. The upper class was made up of the emperor, his court, and scholars who held government positions. The second class, the largest, was made up of the peasants. Next were artisans who produced items for daily life and some luxury goods. Merchants occupied the lowest class because they did not produce anything. They only bought and sold. The military was not an official class in the Confucian system. The Han made  innovations in science. These included the sundial and the seismograph. Another Han innovation, acupuncture, improved medicine. Item that increased in production during the Han dynasty was silk, a soft, light, highly valued fabric. The
most famous trade route was known as the Silk Road. This 4,000-mile-long network of routes stretched westward from China across Asia's deserts and mountain ranges, through the Middle East, until it reached the Mediterranean Sea.