China’s First Civilizations
The Shang Dynasty 1750 BC – 1045BC Divided people into groups : Kings and his family Used armies to rule most of northern China-Huang He valley Divided the kingdom into territories , ruled by warlords Warlords and other royal officials ( aristocrats) Wealth came from the land they owned Passed land and their power from one generation to the next
Shang Dynasty - divisions Traders and artisans This was a very small group in society Farmers Most worked for aristocrats , this was the largest group in society Grew millet, wheat, rice and raised cattle, sheep and chickens Enslaved peoples Captured in war, very small group A huge gap existed between rich and poor. Kings lived in luxury and treated people cruelly
Gods , Spirits and Ancestors
Spirits and Ancestors Spirits Worshiped gods and spirits, both equally important Spirits lived in mountains, streams and seas Offering of food and other goods were made to keep gods and spirits happy; angry gods and spirits could cause a bad harvest or armies to lose battles and wars
Ancestors Honored departed family members Offerings were made in the hope that ancestors would help them in a time of need or bring them good luck Today people go to temples and burn paper copies of food and clothing, copies represent things their ancestors need in the afterlife
Telling the Future
Telling the future Kings received power and wisdom from gods, ancestors and spirits Kings duty was to contact the gods, ancestors and spirits before making important decisions Kings asked help by using oracle bones Priests asked questions by scratching questions onto the bones Hot rods were placed inside the bones, causing them to crack Cracks made a pattern, which were the answers to their questions
Chinese Language
Chinese Language Pictographs Ideographs Characters that stand for objects ( mountains, sun, moon) Characters usually represented whole words Some characters stand for sounds Ideographs Characters that join two or more pictographs
Shang Artists Silk- made into colorful clothing Vases and dishes made from white clay Carved statues from ivory and jade Bronze works: Sculptures Vases Drinking cups urns
Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty 1045BC- 245BC Because of poor treatment of common people, Shang kings lost the support of the people 1045BC- Wu Wang led a rebellion, defeated the Shang king and formed a new dynasty called the Zhou
Zhou Government King was the head of the government and responsible for defending the kingdom King appointed officials for different areas of the government ( bureaucracy) Divided the kingdom into smaller territories and appointed trusted aristocrats to run them Kings were the link between heaven and earth, chief duty was religious rituals
Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven Kings claimed they ruled China because they were chosen to rule by gods because of their virtue and wisdom ( heavenly law) Kings were to rule with goodness and wisdom People expected the king to rule in the proper “Way” called the Dao Kings must keep gods happy or a disaster or bad harvest could occur, this would be a sign that the king had failed his duty
Mandate of Heaven Gave rights to the people to overthrow a dishonest or evil king and one who failed to do his duty King was not considered a god Each new dynasty claimed the Mandate of Heaven
Zhou Technology and Trade Developed irrigation systems and flood control Iron plows made farming easier and allowed them to expand their farms Both advances allowed the people to produce a surplus of crops, started trade and caused the population to grow to 50 million people Trade Silk was the main trade item and was traded all over Asia and the Mediterranean