Chinese Chronology and Cycles

Therefore, the eras preceding the reign of the legendary Chinese monarch Fu-hi, as well as those of his immediate predecessors and successors, are not considered worthy of critical examination here.
✓

Even learned original: "erudite" Chinese scholars exclude these periods from any reliable and accurate chronology of China. This research focuses solely on the chronology that begins with the Yellow Emperor original: "Hwangti" in 2704 BCE. This is the earliest period that Chinese scholars agree can be reasonably discussed, and it may be treated as the starting point of the Chinese era, beginning with his reign.

Strictly speaking, the Chinese do not have a precise era comparable to the Era of Nabonassar A chronological era starting in 747 BCE, used by ancient Greek and Babylonian astronomers, or those used by the Jews, Muslims original: "Mahometans", or Christians. This is because the era of the Yellow Emperor is neither certain nor universally accepted by the Chinese people, even though the government has officially adopted it—along with Chinese history in general—to support its own claims of great antiquity. The lack of such a standardized era is sufficient on its own to raise doubts about the accuracy of Chinese chronology.

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The reason for challenging original: "impugning" Chinese chronology is not because it is historically impossible for a civilization to be that old. Recent discoveries of Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian historical monuments have clearly proven the ancient existence of these...