| Stretching from the deserts of Central Asia to the continent�s eastern seaboard, China is home to the world�s oldest continuous civilization. The Neolithic cultures (6th-3rd millennium B.C.E.) produced fine jades and ceramics, and the early dynasties (ca. 16th-3rd centuries B.C.E.) cast huge quantities of ritual bronze vessels. Confucianism, a social philosophy that emphasizes respect for one�s parents, and Daoism, a philosophy of noninvolvement, arose during the 6th to 4th centuries B.C.E. and were joined in the 2nd century C.E. by Buddhism, which had been transmitted from India. Among the many Chinese inventions are silkworm breeding, high-fired ceramics, paper, gunpowder, the wheelbarrow, and, probably, the compass. The Asia Society collection includes Chinese ceramics, bronzes, Buddhist sculpture, and paintings dating from the 3rd millennium B.C.E. to the 18th century C.E. |
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