A view of China taken from a satellite located 35,785 km directly above China at the latitude of 47 N, and longitude 117 E. Discovering Ancient China Discovering Ancient China

North, South, East, West Natural barriers isolated China from all other civilizations. Pacific OceanPlateau of Tibet Gobi Desert Taklimakan Desert Himalaya Mountains Write down the barriers that Separate china from the Roman World Mongolian Plateau

China: Cultivating the Land China is geographically divided into two parts. Outer China is a sparsely settled region of high mountains, plateaus, steppes, and deserts. Agricultural China is where 95% of the Chinese people live. Ancient Civilization Started on the Huang He River. China was like this 2500 years ago as well Rice Production Population Density

Early Chinese Civilization Early Chinese civilization formed on the banks of the Huang River (Yellow River). In which directions from China do you Thin it was easiest for the Chinese to make contact with other people? Why?

China:Dynastic Rule Dynastic Rule: Ancient China was governed by a ruling class of warrior nobles headed by a king. Ruling families are referred to as dynasties. Dynasties would rule China until The Shang Dynasty (1766 BC-1122BC) was the first verifiable dynasty and ruled China for 600 years. The majority of people living in the Shang Dynasty were peasants that worked the land. There was a great divide between the rich and poor. King Tang

The Zhou (joh) Dynasty 1122BC-256BC In 1122 BC the Zhou marched from the west and overthrew the Shang Dynasty. Zhou rulers rewarded their supporters by granting them control of different lands. Under the Zhou China practiced Feudalism which is a system of government in which local lords governed from their own lands but pledge military service to the overall ruler.

Mandate of Heaven The Shang dynasty was overthrown by Zhou who established a dynasty and introduced the Mandate of Heaven, or divine rule of the king. How is this similar To other civilizations We have talked about In this class?

Qin (chin) Dynasty Han Dynasty Rule from 221 BC until 206 BC King Zheng set up a harsh legalistic rule. This dynasty abolished feudalism which cause the downfall of the Zhou. Great wall is constructed Ruled from 202 BC to 220 AD. Emperor Wudi made many improvements including created the first state supported university in China. He sent explorers outside China some even making it to the eastern edge of the Roman Empire.

Han Dynasty Starts the Silk Road The Silk Road was a trade route that connected China to the rest of the world. It stretched 4000 miles. Few traders covered the entire distance but instead good were relayed in stages.

Great Wall of China Started by the Qin Dynasty to protect from “barbarian invaders” 5500 miles long Visible from the moon.

Great Wall

China: Philosophy and Religion Confucius had a humble start but was eventually addressed as the wisest man all over China. His teachings were based on virtue and goodness. He was uninterested in spiritual salvation but more on how to live this life Confucius believed that the past tells us how to live in the present. Analects Another Chinese philosophy is Daoism or the quest to live in unity with nature. Daoists were opponents of government. Buddhism spreads to China from India.

China: Development of Writing The earliest examples of Chinese writing are found on oracle bones. Shang dynasty rulers consulted the gods through the use of oracle bones, animal bones and tortoise shells on which priests scratched questions for the gods. Oracle Bones The Chinese writing system is not alphabetic like English. It used symbols for words called characters. Each character stands for an idea, not a sound. The characters are read vertically in columns (down and up).

China: Technology During the Shang dynasty, Chinese artisans learned to make beautiful objects from bronze to be used in religious ceremonies. Ancient Chinese Inventions Silk cloth was made by drawing the fine threads from the cocoon of a silkworm, spinning the fiber into yarn, and weaving them into fabric. Ancient Chinese learned how to build blast furnaces that allowed them to produce cast iron used for weapons and agricultural tools such as the mold board plow. BronzeSilk Iron

China Today: Size and Population 9,596,960 Square area 9,629,091 Square area 1,331,460,000 Population 307,006,550 Population China United States The population of China is more that one billion people, the largest national group in the world. In an effort to balance the relationship between land and people, China adopted a “one-couple, one-child” policy in the 1980’s.