The Early River Valley Civilization of the Yellow River (Huang River) East Asia The Early River Valley Civilization of the Yellow River (Huang River)

The Yellow River (Huang River) 1,500 years after the city of Ur (Mesopotamia) was beginning and 1,000 years after the planned cities of the Indus valley, the Yellow River Valley Civilization flourished.

Natural Barriers Natural barriers isolated China from other civilizations. To the east is the Pacific ocean. To the west lay the Taklimakan desert and the icy 14,000 foot Plateau of Tibet. To the North lies the desolate Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Plateau. The two rivers in the area are the Yellow river and the Yangtze in central China. About 90% of the remaining land that is suitable for farming lies within the comparatively small plain between these rivers.

Turn to Page 413 What are the main geographic features of western China and eastern China?

Geography Ancient China was located between the Chang Jiang (Yangzte) and Huang He (Yellow) rivers.

Isolation Ancient China was surrounded by deserts and mountains, which isolated them from other civilizations.

Trade Mesopotamians, Ancient Egyptians, and Ancient Indians traded with each other. Ancient Chinese did not trade with other civilizations because the mountains and deserts made trade and travel difficult.

National Pride Due to this isolation, the Chinese had little contact with foreigners. This led to a strong sense of identity and superiority. They regarded China as the only civilized land, calling it Zhongguo, or “Middle Kingdom,” referring to it as the center of the world.

Dynasties Several dynasties ruled China. Dynasties are families that rule for several generations.

Dynasties The four dynasties which ruled Ancient China were: Shang (1523-1028 BCE) Zhou (1027-256 BCE) Qin (221-206 BCE) Han (206 BCE-220 CE)

Ancient Chinese Empire (c.3500 - 589 CE)