1. Ancient China

2. Ancient China
8000 B.C.E., Neolithic pottery was discovered in China’s western Henan province.
Also discovered was a set of tiny flutes made from the wing bones of a large bird.
Farmers grew millet, wheat and rice and domesticated pigs, dogs, goats, and maybe horses.
They lived in river valleys and had walls for defense.
Warriors used chariots to defeat their enemies.

3. Early Civilization The first civilizations in China were
Xia B.C.E.
Shang B.C.E.
Zhou B.C.E.
We do not have very much information about the Xia- in fact we thought they were myth for a very long time because we had no records from the time.

4. Ancient China
All of the early dynasties were located on the Huang He River, also known as the Yellow River, or the River of Tears, because it had an irregular flood pattern and the flooding caused damage.
Frequent rainfall made it unnecessary to create irrigation systems.
Early people did dredge the river bed to reduce the frequency of flooding. The massive scale of these projects led to the beginning of government.

5. Mandate of Heaven
The Chinese ruled by a concept similar to divine right- they believed the rulers were chosen by Tian, or Heaven.

6. Shang
What we know about the laws of the Shang comes from their bronze work, some of which has laws and government policies written on it.
The details are sketchy, but the punishments are what we know the most about-
Anyone who scolded and elder could get the death penalty
A crime bad enough would lead to a punishment on the whole family.
Criminals had to live on the outer edges of the society

7. Kang Goa
Laws were later written on long bamboo strips- the first comprehensive writings on law are called the Kang Goa.
The amount of evidence of laws we have from the time are limited because during the Qin dynasty, the Emperor burned thousands of scrolls and bamboo strips.

8. Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty ( BCE) was the longest-lasting of China’s dynasties. It followed the Shang Dynasty (c BCE) and it finished when the army of the state of Qin captured the city of Chengzhou in 256 BCE. The long history of the Zhou Dynasty is normally divided in two different periods: Western Zhou ( BCE) and Eastern Zhou ( BCE), so called following the move of the Zhou capital eastwards where it was safer from invasion.

9. Zhou
The Zhou Dynasty was they dynasty where the Confucianism ,Taoism and Legalism developed.
As the Zhou dynasty fell apart, a period called the Warring States Period happened-
From 476 BC-221 bc China was in a constant state of upheaval as the different Chinese kingdoms fought for control.

10. Qin Shi Huangdi was the king of the Qin kingdom.
Between 230 and 221 he conquered the rest of China in bloody battles using cavalry, archers using the crossbow, and infantry using axes, knives and swords.
This was the first time China was unified as a kingdom.

11. Qin Law examples He is a very controversial character.
On the one hand, he unified China, protected it to the north, unified the monetary system, laws, writing, taxes and measurements, and set up a strong government.
On the other hand, he was incredibly brutal and executed thousands of people, burying scholars alive and burning books so he could control information and history.
He had many enemies, and became obsessed with finding a potion that would make him immortal.
Sadly, that quest is what ultimately led to his death.
One of the potions killed him.

12. Qin Shi Huangdi is as famous for his rule as he is for his tomb.
His tomb included 600,000 terra cotta soldiers, life-size recreations of his army that would accompany him in the afterlife.
His burial chamber was said to have a map of the sky on the ceiling with diamonds inlaid for the stars, and a model of China with mercury rivers and lakes.

13. Schools of Thought
Each of the three schools of thought that governed Ancient Chinese beliefs has specific leaders, ideas and overall focus. Each of you should partner with one or two other people and prepare a 2 minute presentation with a visual aid to explain your school of thought to the rest of us. USE EXAMPLES.
Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism

14. Application!
Put a C in front of the quote if it is Confucianism, a D for Daoism, and an L for Legalism
_____A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home.
_____The Way is great. Heaven is great. Earth is great. Humanity is great. Within the universe, these are the four great things.
_____To govern the state by law is to praise the right and blame the wrong.
_____No country is permanently strong. Nor is any country permanently weak. If conformers to law are strong, the country is strong; if conformers to law are weak, the country is weak....
_____The Way is like an empty container: it can never be emptied and can never be filled. Infinitely deep, it is the source of all things. It dulls the sharp, unties the knotted, shades the lighted, and unites all of creation with dust.
______It is dangerous for a ruler to trust others. He who trusts others can be manipulated by others.
_____To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.
_____To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.