Ancient China Stock Footage

As part of our collection of China stock footage, China In A Box offers a selection of Ancient China stock footage, including HD footage of China landmarks available as royalty free clips at a competitive price.

Highlights of our Ancient China footage collection include:

Great Wall of China, including Badaling and Mutianyu near Beijing to Jiayuaguan in the desert in Gansu Province

Forbidden City, the imperial palace in Beijing

Other Beijing ancient landmarks, including the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower, the Temple of Heaven and the White Pagoda

Ancient Nanjing, including the Nanjing Ming City Walls, Fuzi Confucian Temple, Jiming Temple and Nanjing Bell Tower & Drum Tower

Ancient Xian, including the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Bell Tower & Drum Tower, Xian City Walls and Great Mosque

Ancient Chengdu, including Jinli Ancient Street, the Wenshu Monastery and the Wuhou Temple

Kashgar, including the Id Kah Mosque, Grand Bazaar and Kashgar Old Town

Ancient Chinese villages, including Cuandixia near Beijing, Qibao near Shanghai, and Lijiang Old Town and Shuhe Ancient Village in Yunnan Province


Forbidden City	Xian City Walls	Qibao Ancient Town	Tiananmen Gate

History of Imperial China

China is the world’s oldest known continuous civilization with a history going back over two thousand years since Qin Shi Huang established the first unified Chinese state in 221 BC and became the first Qin Emperor.

It was under Qin Shi Huang that construction of the Great Wall was started. Also, the Terracotta Army in Xian was buried near Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum in order to guard his tomb and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China’s most popular tourist destinations.

The Qin Dynasty was the first of many Imperial Dynasties but only ruled for 15 years before being overthrown by the Han Dynasty who ruled for over 400 years and established a Han cultural identity, which is still apparent today. During the Han Dynasty, the silk trade began along the Silk Road and many traditional crafts can still be found along the route, which includes old cities like Turpan, Urumqi, Xian and Kashgar, where a Grand Bazaar is still trading in the present day.

Three Kingdoms Period

The Han Dynasty was followed by the Three Kingdoms Period, which while it only lasted 60 years between 220 and 260 AD and was marked by conflict and wars, is still celebrated as a golden age of chivalry and has been the subject of much literature and art through the ages, including films, television series and video games in the present day. Many of the figures from this period of Chinese history have become legends, the most notable being Cao Cao (the ultimate villain), Liu Bei (the heroic emperor) and Zhuge Liang (the clever minister and military strategist). The Wuhou Temple in Chengdu is dedicated to the ancestor worship of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang and is one of Chengdu's main tourist attractions.

Click here to see our Ancient China stock footage selection, including the Wuhou Temple.

Into the Middle Ages

Following the Three Kingdoms Period, there were a succession of dynasties during which Chinese culture and technology was more advanced than anywhere else in the world.

Some old towns built during the Song Dynasty still exist: the Ancient Town of Qibao which is now part of the larger city of Shanghai and Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan Province, where its traditional Chinese architecture have made it a popular tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1271, Kublai Khan invaded from Mongolia and established the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled China until it was overthrown by a peasant called Zhu Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

The Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty heralded another golden age for China with a huge navy and army and abundant wealth, art and culture. China became a powerful trading nation, trading particularly with Portugal, Spain, Holland and Japan. In 1557 Portugal was allowed to establish a permanent colony in Macau in order to facilitate trade.

In 1403, the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing and built the Imperial City, at the center of which was the Forbidden City, the residence of the Emperor and his family, and which included ancient buildings like the Bell and Drum Towers and the Temple of Heaven.

The constant threat from the Mongol Empire to the north led to expansion and fortification of the Great Wall during the 15th and 16th Centuries and many of the existing parts of the wall today date from this period. The Ming Dynasty built many city walls during their era, including the city walls in Nanjing and Xi'an which are still largely intact today.

The Ming Dynasty Tombs located north of Beijing were established by Yongle as the burial place for his dynasty and, along with the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Ming Dynasty ruled for nearly 300 years until the Manchu Qing Dynasty seized power after a peasant revolt in 1644.

To see our Ancient China stock footage selection, including footage from the Great Wall andthe Forbidden City and other Beijing landmarks, click here.


Meridian Gate, Forbidden City	Temple of Heaven	Beijing Bell Tower	Beijing White Pagoda

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last Imperial Dynasty of China and ruled until 1912 when the Republic of China was founded. The site for the Qing Dynasty tombs is the Dong Tombs in Hebei east of Beijing. Early in the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace outside of Beijing was built.

Click here to see our full collection of Ancient China stock footage.

For more information on the content of our China stock footage library, click on the following links: