The Birth of China - Hunters on the Yellow River (20000 BCE to 7000 BCE)

China's imperial system, which lasted over two millennia, ended in 1911 with the Xinhai Revolution. Before this, China had a rich history, including the building of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. However, even before the imperial era, Chinese civilization was very old, with early complex societies developing from hunter-gatherer groups. This early period, often called prehistory, saw people slowly adopt agriculture and settled living, especially in eastern China around the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Early evidence shows hunter-gatherers using tools like microblades and developing pottery, which is some of the oldest in the world. As the climate changed, these groups began to stay in one place longer and started to domesticate plants like millet and rice, and animals like dogs. These changes led to the rise of early villages and set the stage for the later development of more complex societies and eventually the imperial dynasties.