关于中国历史的英语短文(演讲用)

history of China(中国历史)

China, one of the four oldest civilizations in the world, has a written

history of 4,000 years and boasts rich cultural relics and historical sites. It

is the inventor of compass, paper-making, gunpowder and printing. The Great

Wall, Grand Canal and Karez irrigation system are three great ancient

engineering projects built 2,000 years ago. Now they are the symbols of the rich

culture of the Chinese nation. China has gone over a long history of primitive

society, slavery society, feudal society and semi-feudal semi-colonial society

and the present socialist society.

Condensed China is an introduction to Chinese history. It exists to inform,

enlighten, and attract netizens interested in China. It is not a complete

history of China; I deliberately skipped over and left out a lot of information.

This is more like ''Chinese History: the Cliff Notes version" or "Chinese

History's Greatest Hits" than a full-fledged history.

The state examination system with its 1500 years long history was the most

important means of recruiting state officials in the large administration system

of the Chinese imperial state. Still today, the Chinese Taiwan perpetuates this

institution in the shape of the Examination Yuan , altough the Taiwan government

thinks about abolishing this institution because of its uselessness in a modern

state. The method to recruit state officials by subjecting them to an

examination on the one side opened access to higher posts to everyone who had

fortune enough to finance ten years or more of intensive studies, but on the

other side tied up manforce and capital that could otherwise serve for

investment in business or in politics. And the intensive studies of Confucian

Classics that was imposed on the candidates could also divert their thoughts and

activities from critique or even rebellion - not always successful, like the

case of the successless and disappointed candidate Hong Xiuquan, leader of the

Taiping rebellion, proves.