<P> The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC , from the Shang dynasty ( c. 1600 -- 1046 BC ) . Ancient historical texts such as the Records of the Grand Historian ( c. 100 BC ) and the Bamboo Annals ( 296 BC ) describe a Xia dynasty ( c. 2070 -- 1600 BC ) before the Shang , but no writing is known from the period , and Shang writings do not indicate the existence of the Xia . The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley , which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization . However , Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River . These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang . With thousands of years of continuous history , China is one of the world 's oldest civilizations , and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization . </P>
<P> The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC , from the Shang dynasty ( c. 1600 -- 1046 BC ) . Ancient historical texts such as the Records of the Grand Historian ( c. 100 BC ) and the Bamboo Annals ( 296 BC ) describe a Xia dynasty ( c. 2070 -- 1600 BC ) before the Shang , but no writing is known from the period , and Shang writings do not indicate the existence of the Xia . The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley , which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization . However , Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River . These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang . With thousands of years of continuous history , China is one of the world 's oldest civilizations , and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization . </P>
where was the original birthplace of the chinese civilization
where was the original birthplace of the chinese civilization
Yellow River valley
Yellow River valley