1. Chapter 5:
Early Society in
East Asia

2. Geography
of China

3. Satellite View of China

4. China’s Provinces

5. China—Asia’s Superpower

6. China vs. the U. S. in Size
China
United States

7. Comparing China & the U. S.
United States
Size
3.7 million square miles
3.6 million square miles
Main physical barrier
Himalayas
Rockies
Main River
Yangtze / East - West
Mississippi / North – South
Population
East Coast
Connectivity problems
North - South
East - West

8. Pacific “Rim of Fire”

9. Bodies of Water Amur River Sea of Japan Yellow Sea Huang-He River
Yangtze River
Xi River
Pacific Ocean
South China Sea

10. China’s Climate Zones

11. Precipitation in China

12. Arable Land

13. China as % of World Population

14. The Population of China
thousands

15. The Polluted Yellow River!
VOCABULARY
Loess

16. The Yellow River Huang He 2,920 Miles: Tibet to the Yellow Sea
Deposits (loess) fertile, light colored soil
No need for metal tools for generous harvests
Periodic flooding: “China’s sorrow”

17. Prehistoric Society: Yangshao
BCE
Middle region of the Yellow River valley
Banpo Village
Found in 1952
Painted pottery
Bone tools
Population increase necessitated organized authority

18. The Earliest Dynasties
Xia
C BCE
Legend -> Founded by Yu
Organized through village network
Hereditary monarchy
Flood control
Rise of cities, bureaucracy, & bronze weapons

19. Bronze Age Empires

20. Shang Dynasty - 1766-1122 BCE Bronze metallurgy
State monopoly of copper & tin ores.
Horse-drawn chariots, other wheeled vehicles
Demand of agricultural tribute
Political organization: network of fortified cities, loyal to center

21. Shang Dynasty Burial Practices
Hierarchical social structure
Live burials alongside deceased member of ruling class
Sacrificial victims, mostly slaves
Wives, servants, friends, hunting companions
Later replaced by statuary, often monumental

22. Shang Religion Animism – The belief that spirits inhabit everything.
Ancestor Worship
Shang Di – A god who controlled the forces of nature
Oracle Bones

23. Oracle Bones

24. Oracle Bones and Early Chinese Writing
Used for communicating with spirit world, determining future
Question written on animal bones, turtle shells
Then heated over fire, cracks examined for omens
Early archaeological evidence of Chinese writing

25. The Evolution of Chinese Writing During
Pictographs
Semantic-Phonetics

26. Zhou Literature The reflections of Confucius Book of Changes
Manual for divination
Book of History (Zhou propaganda)
Book of Etiquette (Book of Rites)
Book of Songs (…of Poetry or …of Odes)
Little survived
Often written on perishable bamboo strips
Many destroyed by Emperor of Qin dynasty in 221 BCE

27. Ceremonial Dagger – 1028 BCE
Axe Scepter – 1100 BCE - Jade
Ceremonial Dagger – 1028 BCE

28. Shang Urn

29. Shang Bronzes

30. Ritual Wine Vessel – Bronze, 13c BCE

31. Western Zhou: BCE

32. Zhou Dynasty, 1122-256 BCE No law codes: rule by decree
“Mandate of Heaven”
Lots of villages opposed to Shang leadership
Decentralization of authority
Lacked organization efficiency
Development of cheap iron weaponry ends Shang monopoly on Bronze
Early money economy

33. Zhou Coins - Bronze

34. The Mandate of Heaven The leader must lead by ability and virtue.
The dynasty's leadership must be justified by succeeding generations.
The mandate could be revoked by negligence and abuse; the will of the people was important.

35. The Dynastic Cycle Start here A new dynasty comes to power.
“Son of Heaven”
The emperor reforms the govt. & makes it more efficient.
Start here
Emperor is defeated !!
Lives of common people improved; taxes reduced; farming encouraged.
The
Dynastic
Cycle
Rebel bands find strong leader who unites them. Attack the emperor.
Problems begin (extensive wars, invasions, etc.)
Poor lose respect for govt. They join rebels & attack landlords.
Taxes increase; men forced to work for army. Farming neglected.
Droughts, floods, famines occur.
Govt. increases spending; corruption.

36. Duke of Shao, quoted in The Chinese Heritage
Heaven, unpitying, has sent down ruin on the Shang. The Shang has lost the Mandate, and we, the Zhou have received it. I dare not say that our fortune would continue to prosper, even though I believe that heaven favors those who are sincere in their intentions. I dare not say, either that it would end in certain disaster…
The Mandate of Heaven is not easy to gain. It will be lost when men fail to live up to the reverent and illustrious virtues of our forefathers.
Duke of Shao, quoted in The Chinese Heritage

37. Early Ideology Yin and Yang Yin: female, dark, weak, wet, passive
Yang: male, bright, strong, dry, active
Balance of opposites

38. Zhou Contributions Aristocrats Feudalism Iron Age
Kings > Local Lords > Peasants
Feudal Lords Gain Power
Iron Age
The First Bound Books
Astronomers Study Planets & Eclipses

39. Silk Worms

40. Decline of the Zhou Dynasty
Decentralized leadership style allows for building of regional powers
Increasing local independence, refusal to pay Zhou taxes
Iron metallurgy allows for widespread creation of weaponry
Northern invaders weaken Zhou dynasty, beginning 8th c BCE
Internal dissention: the Period of the Warring States ( BCE)

41. China during the Period of the Warring States, 403-221 BCE

42. “Chung Kuo” (The “Middle Kingdom”)

43. Social Order Ruling classes great advantage
Luxurious lifestyle
Supported by agricultural surplus, tax revenues
Hereditary privilege
Support class of artisans, craftsmen
Evidence of long-distance trade, Slave class (mostly POW’s)

44. Family and Patriarchy Devotion to family, ancestor veneration
Father ritual head of family rites (rather than priests)
Earlier prominence of individual female leaders fades in later Shang, Zhou dynasties

45. Nomadic Peoples of Central Asia
Despite geographic boundaries, long distance trade exists while limited in scope
Steppe nomads
Poor lands for cultivation, extensive herding activities
Domesticated horses
Organized under charismatic warrior chiefs
Extensive trade with sedentary cultures in China
Tensions: frequent raiding