1. River Dynasties in China
Chapter 2 Section 4 pg. 46

2. Review- chapter 2 section 2
Which country is the Nile River located in?
Egypt
Which sea does the Nile river empty into?
The Mediterranean
What do Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt refer to?
elevation

3. More review Who built the pyramids? Peasants
Kings were also considered gods and were called?
Pharaohs
How many days and months was the Egyptian calendar based on?
365 days, 12 months

4. Geography of China
Natural barriers isolate China from other civilizations
East- Pacific Ocean
West- Taklimakan desert
Southwest- Himalaya Mountains
North- Gobi Desert

5. Pacific Ocean, Taklimakan Desert, Himalayas, and Gobi Desert

6. Rivers
2 major rivers flow from the mountains west to the Pacific Ocean
Huang He (hwahng-HUH) in the north
Yangtze (yang-SEE) in Central China

7. Mountain ranges dominate 2/3 of China’s landmass
90% remaining land that is suitable for farming is in the small plain between the 2 rivers

8. Chinese viewed those outside of Chinese civilization were barbarians
Own name for China was the Middle Kingdom

9. China’s 1st civilization developed in a river valley- the Huang He means “yellow river”
Deposited huge amounts of yellow silt when it overflowed its banks
Silt is actually fertile soil called loess that is blown by wind from the desert

10. Huang He’s floods could be generous or ruinous
One great flood killed nearly 1 million people in 1887

11. Due to geographic isolation, early settlers had to supply own goods rather than trading with people
Natural boundaries didn’t always protect from invasions
Invasions from the west and north occurred again and again in Chinese history

12. Civilization Emerges in Shang Times
Even before Sumerians settled in Mesopotamia, Chinese cultures building along the Huang He
Around 2000 B.C. turned into China’s first cities
China’s first Dynasty emerged at this time, the Xia (shyah) Dynasty

13. First Dynasties Leader of Xia named Yu
Controlled flood and irrigation projects and helped tame Huang He and its tributaries so settlements could grow

14. Shang Dynasty Lasted from 1532 to 1027 B.C.
First family to leave written records
Built elaborate tombs and palaces

15. Oldest and most important Shang city was Anyang
Built mostly of wood
Higher classes lived in timber-framed houses with walls of clay and straw
Surrounded cities with massive earthen walls for protection

16. Social Classes Divided between nobles and peasants
Governed by ruling class of warrior-nobles headed by a king
Professional warriors underwent lengthy training to learn the techniques of driving and shooting from horse-drawn chariots
Chariot was a major tool of war

19. Origins of Chinese Culture
People very loyal to 2 important authorities- their family and their king or emperor
Family was central to Chinese society
Important aspect was respecting parents
Elder men in family controlled property and made all decisions
Women treated as inferiors, expected to obey husband, father, and eventually own sons.

20. Girl would marry between 13-16 to arranged partner and move into house with husband
If she gave her husband a son, her status may improve

21. Religious beliefs
Believed that spirits of family ancestors could bring good fortune or disaster
Didn’t treat them as gods, but gave them respect
Worshiped a supreme god, Shang Di as well as many lesser gods

22. Shang kings consulted gods through oracle bones- animal bones and tortoise shells on which a priest would scratch questions for the gods, then a priest applied a hot poker to it causing it to crack
The priests interpreted the cracks to see how the god answered

23. …kinda like a Magic Eight Ball

24. Real Oracle Bones

25. Development of Writing
Chinese method of writing each character stands for an idea, not a sound
Advantage: people in China could learn the same system of writing even if languages were very different
Disadvantage: enormous amount of written characters
Person needed to know over 1,000 characters to barely be literate, a true scholar needed to know 10,000 characters

27. Shang technology and Artistry
People who were skilled in crafts made up a separate class in society
Like other commoners, they lived outside the walls of cities
Made weapons, jewelry, religious items
Could also make silk cloth 1000 years before Europe and the rest of world could

29. Zhou Bring New Ideas
1027 B.C. people called Zhou (joh) overthrew Shang and established own dynasty, and adopted much of Shang culture
Justified takeover by declaring Shang King was such a bad leader that the gods had taken away the power and given it to the Zhou

30. Justification over time became developed into view that royal authority came from heaven
Ruler who had divine approval known as the Mandate of Heaven

31. Mandate of Heaven Dynastic Cycle in China

32. Floods, riots and other disasters might be signs that the ancestral spirits were unhappy with a king’s rule

33. Control through feudalism
Zhou dynasty controlled large amounts of land, governing the area became a challenge
Gave different regions of land to different royal family members and trusted nobles
Established system of feudalism

34. Feudalism
Political system where nobles, or lords, are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king
The nobles owe loyalty and military service to the king and protection to the people who love on the estates

36. Gradually the lords grew stronger as small towns grew into cities and expanded into neighboring territory
Local lords became less dependent on the king and fought among themselves with neighboring lords for wealth and land

37. Improvements in Trade and Technology by the Zhou
The Zhou built roads and canals to supply growing cities
This stimulated trade and agriculture
Introduced coined money
Developed blast furnaces that allowed them to produce cast iron 1,000 years before Europeans
Used iron to create weapons and tools

38. Ancient Blast Furnace

39. Modern Blast Furnace

40. Warring States The Zhou ruled from 1027 to 256 B.C.
Nomads from the north invaded and murdered the Zhou monarch
Surviving members moved capital to Luoyang (lwoh-YAHNG) and pretended to rule for another 500 years
Lords claimed to be kings in own territory, and traditional values collapsed

41. Assignment:
On your note sheet, create your own writing system using only characters for this sentence:
After school, students do homework, practice sports, or play video games.