Civilizations of China 6th grade

Power… Like many early civilizations, the earliest societies in China formed along a river, known as the Huang-He River, or Yellow River, around 2500 B.C. Since then, various dynasties have been in power. Below is a lesson discussing Chinese civilization. Yellow River Huang-He River

REMEMBER THIS!!! THE RIVERS WE DISCUSSED earlier this year?

Huang-He River  Many important civilizations in China developed along the Huang-He River. The area around this river is known as the "cradle of agriculture" in China because it has so much fertile land for growing crops. The Huang-He River is the second longest river in China. It is referred to as the "yellow" river because it carries silt from the areas through which it travels, giving it yellow-colored water. The Huang-He River is important for irrigation in China.

Shang Dynasty It was located along the Huang-He River.  The Shang Dynasty ruled China from around 1600 B.C. to 1046 B.C. It was located along the Huang-He River. Under the Shang Dynasty's rule, a writing system was established. The writing system was very advanced for the time period. The Shang Dynasty used the writing system to record their history and their discoveries.

Great Wall of China The Great Wall, shown below, is an important Chinese landmark made up of a series of earth and stone fortifications in northern China. It was built originally to protect China's border from invasion by tribes to the north, particularly the Mongols.

Qin Shi Huang An important ruler of China is the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, sometimes known as Shi Huangdi. He ruled from 221 B.C. to 206 B.C. Qin Shi Huang is known for being the first person to unite China into one country. Before him, China was made up of many different states which fought each other. His accomplishment of defeating neighboring states and uniting them into a single empire earned him the title of First Emperor.

Qin Shi Huang Internally, Qin Shi Huang also implemented new standards for weights and measures, as well as establishing legalism. Legalism is a political philosophy that taught that government needed to maintain order through powerful and efficient means. Legalists believed that rulers should rule with force because people were naturally evil. After he died, Qin Shi Huang was buried with 8,000 terracotta soldiers to protect him and help him rule another empire in the afterlife. The soldiers of the Terracotta Army have become important artifacts of Chinese history.

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven was the Chinese belief that gods would only allow a government to stay in power as long as it was good and moral. This belief was developed in the 11th century B.C. during the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou claimed that the gods had allowed them to defeat the Shang Dynasty because the Shang were no longer moral. Dynasties that came after the Zhou also used the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. The dynastic cycle was a concept related to the Mandate of Heaven. According to the dynastic cycle, when a dynasty was no longer moral, it would lose its authority to rule and a new dynasty would overthrow it and replace it. Because of this belief in the dynastic cycle, the Chinese people were used to sudden political changes.

Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty ruled from 206 B.C. until 220 A.D. The Chinese grew in power and had many innovations during this time. The most prosperous time of the Han Dynasty was under the leadership of Emperor Wudi. Wudi expanded the empire as far west as Kyrgyzstan (located in central Asia) and south to Vietnam and the Korean Peninsula through military conquests. The government shared land with feudal lords as a reward for their military help. The Chinese under the Han Dynasty started the civil service system, invented paper, and started using acupuncture during this time. Acupuncture is a medical treatment in which needles are inserted into certain points on the body in order to relieve pain or illness.

Confucianism  Confucius was born in 551 B.C. into a noble family that had recently fled from the State of Song in China. After his father died when he was 3 years old, Confucius was raised in poverty by his single mother. His teachings were based on different levels of honesty. The first level says that you should be honest because it is good for you personally. The second level says you should be honest out of duty or obligation. The third level is the deepest. This level says you should be honest because you are thinking of the feelings of other people, like your family. Confucius was forced into exile after some of his teachings angered the king. He put great emphasis on the importance of study and understanding of the outside world. He wanted people to think for themselves. His ideas eventually became a basis for government and culture in China.

Taoism Taoism is a Chinese folk religion with no exact date of origin, but it is estimated to be from the Shang dynasty or earlier. It is not a belief-centered religion, but certain characteristics can be identified. Taoism embraced an ancient Chinese belief in balance: the concept of yin and yang. Yin and yang represent the balancing aspects of nature such as the differences between light and dark, hot and cold, and male and female. There are several classes of supernatural beings that can enter into relationships with human beings, including gods, ghosts, and ancestral spirits. Sacrifices of food are important in maintaining a positive relationship with these beings. Other rituals, such as fortune-telling, are part of Taoism.

Civil Service      Emperor Wudi decided China should be a Confucian state rather than a Daoist state (the traditional Chinese philosophy which emphasized living in harmony) and changed how people were selected for government positions. Before Emperor Wudi's reign, emperors would appoint family members or wealthy people into positions. Wudi wanted the most talented people to serve in government jobs and wanted to avoid corruption. Under Emperor Wudi, written tests were given in order to select people for government positions. Wudi's changes were based on Confucian principles and eventually evolved into a civil service system in which only those who were qualified could obtain a government job.

It will cover slides from 1-12 Please review the questions and study! END OF QUIZ 1 It will cover slides from 1-12 Please review the questions and study! Any questions you have will be addressed before the quiz is given! Good Luck!