Ancient Chinese Civilization Chapter 4 Pages 74 - 97

Geographic and Cultural Influences The Physical Setting China is very large with lots of variety Mountains West, Northwest, Southwest Desert North Open Plain Southeast Coastline East / Southeast

Major Rivers of China

Geographic and Cultural Influences The Physical Setting Different Regions Qinling Mountains – run across China from West to East Separates two main rivers Divides China into North and South Northern China Shorter growing season Wheat main crop More extreme temperatures Southern China Rice Main crop Milder temperatures Longer growing season

Geographic and Cultural Influences Physical Setting Heart of China is called China Proper Main River Systems Huang – called Yellow River because of its loess Soil that has a yellow tint Also called China’s sorrow because of devastating floods Chang Over 3,400 miles long Xi Southern China Throughout China’s history it has controlled entire region at one time or another

Geographic and Cultural Influences China’s Isolation Had the least cultural diffusion of any ancient civilization Mainly due to geographic location Gave them strong sense of identity and superiority Referred to themselves as Zhongguo or Middle Kingdom Thought they were the only truly civilized people

The Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty Two mythical theories of ancient belief Man named Pagu awoke from 18,000 years of sleep to create the universe Yu drained floodwaters so people could live in China Establish line of kings Line of kings called Xia However is came to pass Ancient China started on the Yellow / Huang River and they were called the Xia Invaded by Shang people, they started the first Chinese Dynasty(video)

The Shang Dynasty Government and Culture Moved their capital several times Created a complete Bureaucracy Bureaucracy – government with different levels and responsibilities Had an advanced military Chariots Bronze weapons

The Shang Dynasty Economy and handicrafts Economy based mainly on agriculture Millet and rice Made silk from silkworms Bone crafts, ivory and jade Established foundations for later ceramic art Learned how to use white clay (kaolin) and they would glaze it to make it stronger

The Shang Dynasty Astronomy and calendars Used two calendars Solar Used for planting Adjusted by priest off of the lunar calendar Important to king He got his popularity from the type of harvest Lunar Personal events

The Shang Dynasty Religion Believed in animism and ancestor worship Spirits indwelled in everything Believed in an all powerful dragon that lived in the sea Became the kings symbol Also worshipped the sun, wind, clouds and moon Some had festivals to honor them Believed on one main god called Shangdi who controlled everything Priest used oracle bones to determine dream interpretations

The Shang Dynasty Language and Writing Spoke many dialects Early forms of writing were pictographs Later developed into ideographs Two parts Idea sign Phonetic sign Developed into modern calligraphy

The Shang Dynasty Fall of the Shang People began to migrate towards China Proper Shang had to defend its borders against these invaders Eventually the Zhou would align with others neighboring peoples The Zhou justified their overthrow by saying that the Shang were corrupt This would be a pattern for future overthrows in China

Zhou Dynasty

Zhou Dynasty Zhou Dynasty 1050 B.C. No centralized government, gave control to members of royal family Believed God in heaven would determine who would rule China Mandate of Heaven Leaders began losing control They were being attacked from outside invaders False alarms occurred about capital city being attacked Later a force actually did attack, no one came to help Capital destroyed in 771 B.C. – became warring states

Warring States

Qin Dynasty One of the Warring States began to win (video) State of Ch'in (Qin) Cheng was the leader Titled himself Shih Huang Ti (1st emperor) Lasted 15 Years, but many changes Name for China came from Qin Established Autocracy (all power with emperor) Built walls to protect themselves, once connected would be Great Wall of China (video) Liu Bang would eventually conquer the emperor and start the Han Dynasty

Qin Dynasty

Han Dynasty Chinese have called themselves Han ever since Longest ruling emperor was Liu Ch’e Commonly known as Wu Ti Civil Service System Han established a centralized civil service system to govern China (day to day business) Had a system of examinations to select the best for the job Theoretically it was open to anyone Really only people with money for training could get in the program Video

Han Dynasty Other Accomplishments Used process called leveling to help out in bad agricultural times Use of price controls to help the economy Expanded area through military outpost cities Developed Silk Road for trade (video) Population grew to about 50 million during Han Lasted until 220 A.D.

Han Dynasty

Philosophies of Ancient China Philosophers in the Zhou dynasty were trying to harmonize the country Believed two force were at work Developed into concept of dualism Yin – female, dark, passive Yang – male, bright, active Not in conflict, but interdependent Lead to a further belief that extremes do not last Extremely modern for the time in which they lived

Symbol of the Yin Yang Yin Yang shows the balance between the Yin and Yang Came of study of the stars See next slide for astronomical deductions

Symbol of the Yin Yang

Philosophies of Ancient China Confucius and Laozi Confucius was the leading philosopher of the times Teachings came from Analects His teaching would eventually become Confucianism Taught importance of family, respect, respect for elders, and respect of ancestry Sought to end political disorder of the time Not concerned with life, death and life after death Concerned with political and social ideas Taught that people should accept roles and perform duties Taught only virtuous and moral leaders should be in office Taught people had a right to rebel against harsh or unjust rulers Mencius was the most influenced person of the time by Confucius Video

Philosophies of Ancient China Confucius and Laozi Daoism Founded by Laozi Dao is defined as the way Described as a force that governed the universe and nature Shunned politics Appealed to many peasants because it dealt with natural forces

Philosophies of Ancient China Legalism and Buddhism Qin dynasty was the most legalistic Probably the reason for its failure Han Dynasty adopted many but not all of the legalities Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism all were prevalent in Ancient China (video)

Chinese Life and Culture Family and Social Life Each family kept a detailed genealogy (family tree) Respect, honor, and family name were very important to Chinese Many generations would live in the same house Women had very few rights, but were very well respected

Chinese Life and Culture Economy Mostly agricultural Trade not a significant factor Arts and Sciences Five Classics (books) Used to train civil servants Book of History – government Book of Changes – predicting future Book of Rites – ceremonies and manners Spring and Autumn Annals – history of city-state of Lu Book of Poems – poems

Chinese Life and Culture Science and Technology Discovered the year was slightly longer than 365 days Came up with system to fix it (Leap Year) Observed sun spots Developed a system to track planet movements Invented paper Learned how to dye cloth Learned how to glaze pots Developed herbal and mineral medicines