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Article THE GENERAL HISTORY OF CHINA: Page 1 of 5 →
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The General History Of China:
THE GENERAL HISTORY OF CHINA :
Containing a Geographical , Historical , Chronological , Political , ^ and Physical Description of the ' Empire of C HINA , CHINESE-TARTARY , & C . IN WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED AS ACCOUNT OF EVERY PARTICULAR . THAT TRANSPIRES FROM LORD MACARTNEY ' S EMBASSY .
Of the Antiquity and Extent of . the Chinese Monarchy . CHINA has' this advantage over all other nations , that for four thousand years , and upwards , it has been governed , almost without interruption , by its own native princes , and with little deviation either in attire , morals , laws , customs , or manners , from the wise institutions of it ' s first legislators .
As the inhabitants find within themselves every thing necessary for the convenience and delight of life , so wanting no foreign assistance , they have ahvays affected a shyness to the commerce of strangers-. Their ignorance of distant countries flattered them withVie fond persuasion , that they were masters of the whole worldthat they inhabited the greatest part of itand that
what-, , ever was not China was barbarous ; which prejudice , joined to the natural solidity of the people , has without doubt very much contributed to the constant uniformity of their maimers . Concerning tfie orig in of this Empire , the learned amongst them are divided betwixt two opinions , for they are far from resting satisfied with that vul chimerawhichon the credit of some
gar , , apocrypha ] books , places the rise of it in imaginary ages before the creation of the world : their best historians distinguish their chronology into the fabulous , the doubtful , and the certain ; and all agree that the ages preceding Fo hi can be reduced to no certain standard , but ought to be looked upon as entirely fabulous . These authors therefore consider Fo hi as the founder of then '
monarchy , who about two hundred years after the deluge , accord ^ - ing ' to the version of the seventy , reigned at first in the confines of the province of Chen si , and afterwards in the province of Ho nan , which is situate almost in the heart of the empire , where he employed himself in clearing all that tract of land that extends to the
eastern ocean . In this opinion are most of their learned , and indeed it is so well supported by a constant tradition , and the authority of their most ancient historians , that it is generally looked upon as incontestible . Other of their authors carry their monarchy no hig her than the reign of Yao , who , according to the former , was only their fifth emperor ; but should any one presume to reduce it lower , he would not only be ridiculed , but severely chastized , if not put to death ; D
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The General History Of China:
THE GENERAL HISTORY OF CHINA :
Containing a Geographical , Historical , Chronological , Political , ^ and Physical Description of the ' Empire of C HINA , CHINESE-TARTARY , & C . IN WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED AS ACCOUNT OF EVERY PARTICULAR . THAT TRANSPIRES FROM LORD MACARTNEY ' S EMBASSY .
Of the Antiquity and Extent of . the Chinese Monarchy . CHINA has' this advantage over all other nations , that for four thousand years , and upwards , it has been governed , almost without interruption , by its own native princes , and with little deviation either in attire , morals , laws , customs , or manners , from the wise institutions of it ' s first legislators .
As the inhabitants find within themselves every thing necessary for the convenience and delight of life , so wanting no foreign assistance , they have ahvays affected a shyness to the commerce of strangers-. Their ignorance of distant countries flattered them withVie fond persuasion , that they were masters of the whole worldthat they inhabited the greatest part of itand that
what-, , ever was not China was barbarous ; which prejudice , joined to the natural solidity of the people , has without doubt very much contributed to the constant uniformity of their maimers . Concerning tfie orig in of this Empire , the learned amongst them are divided betwixt two opinions , for they are far from resting satisfied with that vul chimerawhichon the credit of some
gar , , apocrypha ] books , places the rise of it in imaginary ages before the creation of the world : their best historians distinguish their chronology into the fabulous , the doubtful , and the certain ; and all agree that the ages preceding Fo hi can be reduced to no certain standard , but ought to be looked upon as entirely fabulous . These authors therefore consider Fo hi as the founder of then '
monarchy , who about two hundred years after the deluge , accord ^ - ing ' to the version of the seventy , reigned at first in the confines of the province of Chen si , and afterwards in the province of Ho nan , which is situate almost in the heart of the empire , where he employed himself in clearing all that tract of land that extends to the
eastern ocean . In this opinion are most of their learned , and indeed it is so well supported by a constant tradition , and the authority of their most ancient historians , that it is generally looked upon as incontestible . Other of their authors carry their monarchy no hig her than the reign of Yao , who , according to the former , was only their fifth emperor ; but should any one presume to reduce it lower , he would not only be ridiculed , but severely chastized , if not put to death ; D