Woodie Jennings, age 16, of Burlington, Vt., for his question:

WHAT WAS THE EARLIEST KNOWN CHINESE DYNASTY?

Shang dynasty was the earliest known Chinese dynasty or family of rulers. It was centered in what is now northern Honan province. The dynasty governed from about 1500 B.C. until 1027 B.C.

The Shang society, though based on agriculture, became famous for its fine carvings and bronze work. Most Shang relics found by scientists came from An Yang, the last Shang capital. An yang had houses, palaces, temples and elaborate tombs.

The people of the Shang period used bronze to make vessels, weapons and chariot fixtures. They also carved marble and jade and wove silk.

The Shang writing system had more than 3,000 symbols. This writing appears on pieces of bone called oracle bones. The people used oracle bones to ask the spirits of their ancestors about such future occurences as crop raising, hunting trips and wars.

The Shang society was headed by a priest king and had two classes of people: commoners and nobles. The people worshiped their ancestors and had many gods. The two chief gods were what the people called a Ruler Above and a God on Earth.