Where was the Middle Kingdom?
The Chinese believed that their country is in the very centre of the world, that is why they called it the Middle Kingdom. For many centuries China was one of the largest, richest and most advanced civilizations anywhere on earth. Under the Tang and Song dynasties (AD 618-1279) e.g. Chinese city like Chang’an (Xi’an) and Kinsai (Huangzhou) were the biggest in the world and very prosperous. Chinses scientists and inventors of that period made many discoveries such as printing, porcelain, paper making, rockets, gun powder, bank notes and clockwork.
