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But at the time I am going to talk about, around 2,500 years ago,
我要讲述的那个时期里，大约在公元前2500年，
all this was yet to come, though China was already a vast and ancient kingdom.
这一切还全都没有，虽然当时的中国已经是一个古老又庞大的国家。
In its fields many millions of hard-working peasants grew rice and other crops,
这个国家当时就已经有好几百万勤劳的农民，
while in the towns people strolled through the streets in sumptuous, silken gowns.
他们种植大米和其他粮食，而在城市里人们身穿丝绸衣服款款而行。
Over all these people a king ruled, and beneath him many princes who governed the many provinces of this immense country,
但是在皇帝统治下的这些人中还有各诸侯，这个庞大国家的各个地区分赐给这些诸侯，归他们统治，
which was larger than Egypt, and larger than Assyria and Babylonia put together.
这个国家比埃及大，比亚述和巴比伦加在一起还大。
But soon these princes had become so mighty that the king could no longer command their obedience.
但不久这些诸侯便强大得不听皇帝的号令。
They were constantly at war with each other, the big provinces gobbling up the smaller ones.
各路诸侯经常互相争斗，大的省吞并小一些的省。
And because the empire was so vast that in all its corners the Chinese spoke quite different languages,
由于这个国家如此之大，以至连国家各边远地区的中国人也都讲完全不同的语言，
it would probably have fallen apart altogether had they not had one thing in common. This was their script.
中国可能已经四分五裂了，假如他们没有一种共同的东西的话：这就是他们的文字。
