CHINESE CHRONOLOGY AND CYCLES.

CHAPTER I.

General View of the Question.

To begin with a clear understanding of what Chinese chronology actually is, and to clarify what is meant in the following investigation, it is necessary to state at the very beginning original: "in limine" that there is no fundamental original: "generic" difference between the system the Chinese use and the systems used by other nations to record the sequence of events over time throughout their history.

The specific aspect of Chinese chronology that we will examine here is its unsupported claim original: "pretension" to be an authentic record of events in China. However, a distinction must be made between two categories: first, the clearly mythical and legendary ages which the Chinese—like other Eastern nations—try to calculate using improbable lengths of time; and second, the more plausible sequence of events which, when compared to the established timelines of other ancient nations, does not appear to be impossible or contradictory to their history.