Five dynasties, or families, ruled ancient China for more than 6,000 years. The last one of the ancient period, the Han dynasty, ruled around the same time as the ancient Roman Empire.

Fireworks began in ancient China before spreading West The thinking goes that someone living in China around the first century B.C. threw a piece of bamboo on a fire and it exploded with a bang.

Around 2,200 years ago, ancient China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, began connecting many small walls to build the now-famous Great Wall of China. It eventually became over 13,000 miles (20,000 ...