1. Ancient China
BCE

2. They felt they were the center of the universe – understandable as they had no contact with any other large civilization

3. Geography 1) Natural Barriers
East – Pacific Ocean
West – Taklimakan Desert
SW – Himalaya Mountains
North – Gobi Desert

4. Geography 2) Huang He (Yellow) River & Yangtze River
China’s early civilization formed on the North China Plain in between these two rivers.
Rivers were the center of the ancient Chinese civilization

5. Rivers
3) Huang He (Yellow) -Unpredictable and destructive floods -Known as “River of Sorrows” or “China’s sorrow.”
The nickname "China's Sorrow" memorializes the millions that have been killed during the Huang He River's many diversions and floods
Distinctive yellow color is provided by its enormous sediment load, which causes the river's bottom to rise every year.

6. 4) Loess -fine yellow silt, very fertile -Loess deposited in the bottom of the rivers, - sand, silt, and dirt.

7. 1. Xia (She-a) Dynasty (First Civilization)
Government
1. Xia (She-a) Dynasty (First Civilization)
1st dynasty around BCE
Yu t is the leader, an engineer and mathematician
Major Achievements:
Flood control and irrigation projects
Led to more and better farmland which allowed for the expansion of the population, cities grow
Prehistory or Possible Bronze Age Society

8. 2. Shang Dynasty ( BCE)
First Chinese rulers to leave written records
Built elaborate palaces and tombs
Earliest cities:
Anyang – one of the capitals – built mainly of wood
Surrounded by walls for protection

9. Shang Dynasty Achievements
Horse drawn chariots
Leather and bronze armor
Silk
Pottery
Jade and Ivory statues and jewelry
Lacked strong leaders

10. 3. Zhou (Joe) Dynasty (1027-256 BCE)
Claimed they had the right to rule
Mandate of Heaven –
a just ruler had divine or godly approval
Central to Chinese government

13. Feudalism
Dynastic cycle – pattern of rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties

14. Innovations under Zhou Rule
Roads and canals stimulated agriculture and trade by making it easier to travel
Coined money – improved trade
Iron – made stronger weapons and tools

15. The “Warring States Period”
The later period of the Zhou dynasty in which the individual warrior nobles claimed to be the kings of their respective territories
Impact on the civilization of China?
During this period, warrior- nobles were replaced in war by professional soldiers

16. Social Classes King/ Emperor Warrior-Noble Peasants Land Land
Protection
Resources
Loyalty
money
Land
Land
Protection
Feudalism (Government)
political system
nobles, or lords, are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king.
In return the nobles owe loyalty and military service to the king and
protection to the people who live & work on their estates

17. Chinese Culture Cultural Tradition:
Family – central to Chinese society
Important virtue – respect for one’s parents
Chief loyalty throughout life was to to the family. Beyond this, people owed obedience and respect to the ruler of the Middle Kingdom.
Cultural Tradition:
Worshipped ancestors – think MULAN!

18. Religion – polytheistic
Shang Kings consulted the god using oracle bones.
Oracle bones- animal bones and tortoise shells
The diviner would submit questions to gods regarding future weather, crop planting, the fortunes of members of the royal family, military endeavors, and other similar topics. These questions were carved onto the bone or shell using a sharp tool. Intense heat was then applied with a metal rod until the bone or shell cracked due to thermal expansion. The diviner would then interpret the pattern of cracks and write the answer upon the piece.
Religion – polytheistic

19. Written Language Chinese characters
Writing does NOT match the spoken language
Advantage: all Chinese could learn same system of writing which helped to unify the nation
Disadvantage: there was a large number of characters to memorize