Engineering an Empire
China: Engineering an Empire. For over 4000 years, the world's greatest empires have come and gone. Only one has survived the test of time: China. Century after century, China's regal emperors mobilized immense peasant armies to accomplish engineering feats unparalleled in human history. Among the groundbreaking innovations of the ancient Chinese were the world's longest canal, its most complex and effective irrigation system, and a naval fleet mightier than all those of Europe combined-but, none can compare to the colossal 4,000-mile wall that stands as the most ambitious construction project ever built. From such heights came spectacular death spirals, as dynasty after dynasty-consumed by vanity and greed-was stripped of power by the people it had ruled. This film examines some of the great engineering feats accomplished by China's real emperors century after century, including the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.
| Episode 11 - China |
| Related Links |
| History of China - wikipedia The Yellow River is said to be the cradle of Chinese civilization, although cultures originated at various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys millennia ago in the Neolithic era. |
| Legacy: The Origins of Civilization - China Many breakthroughs on which the modern world is based were discovered in China long ago...iron-casting, gunpowder, even printing. When introduced to Europe, these things changed Western civilization. |
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