5 fast facts about Ancient China. Around 3,000 years ago, people in ancient China used "oracle bones" — tortoise shells or bones inscribed with Chinese writing — to predict the future.

Around 2,200 years ago, ancient China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, began connecting many small walls to build the now-famous Great Wall of China. It eventually became over 13,000 miles (20,000 ...