Early China 4th civilization on the rise = Yellow River Valley in China (Huang He River) Oldest continuous civilization in the world

China’s Geography 1/3 mountains Vast deserts – Gobi Desert These factors isolated China from other early civilizations Prevented cultural diffusion Promoted strong sense of national identity

Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 BCE) 1st dynasty (line of rulers who belong to the same family) from which there are written records in China Kings were also high priests Performed special ceremonies for good weather, crops, etc. Had special powers to call upon their ancestors Used oracle bones

Shang Dynasty Had a writing system Characters represented objects, ideas, or sounds Had to memorize each character to understand script Few people could read & write in ancient China

Shang Dynasty Produced some of the finest bronze objects ever made Wove silk into beautiful colored cloth for the upper class 7 capital cities Palace and temple stood at the center of each city

Shang Dynasty Collapsed under attack Shang Dynasty lacked strong leaders 1000 BCE = ruler from the north named Wu marched in his armies and killed the Shang king Set up his own dynasty called the Zhou Dynasty that ruled China for 800 years

Shang Dynasty Paved the way for many other dynasties to rule China Dynasties ruled China until the early 1900s under the Mandate of Heaven If rulers were effective, they received the authority to rule from Heaven If not, they were overthrown & lost this mandate to someone else who started a new dynasty