1. Chinese History

2. The first Chinese: Different Regions, Different Lives
Outer China
Northwestern Deserts
Could only settle in oases
Grew cotton, winter wheat & maize (corn)
Tibetan Plateau
Not good for crops
Raised livestock, like yaks

3. This is a yak.

4. The first Chinese: Different Regions, Different Lives
Outer China
Northeastern Plain
Too cold & dry for farming
Grasses good for sheep, goats, cattle & horses
Nomadic people
Great Wall built later to keep them out

5. The first Chinese: Different Regions, Different Lives
Inner China
North China Plain
Fertile land
More settled population lived here
Grew mostly wheat & millet.
Raised cattle, sheep, oxen, pigs, & chickens
Herded cattle, buffalo, horses

6. The first Chinese: Different Regions, Different Lives
Inner China
Chang Jiang Basins
Not as good for farming or grazing
Warmer, wet areas good for rice
Raised pigs & poultry
Ate seafood

7. Your assignment…
Choose the best place for you to live out of the 5 regions we just discussed.
Tell me why this region is best based on climate, activities, food, etc.
Tell me why this region would be better than at least 2 of the other regions we learned about.

8. The Earliest Chinese People
Believed to have lived more than half a million years ago!
Archaeologists found remains of Peking Man by a cave near Beijing
He stood upright, used stone tools and used fire

9. The Shang Dynasty (pronounced Shung)
Farming settlements began along the Huang He
Around 1766 B.C.E. the Shang family began taking over
With relatives they controlled a large area and fought off nomadic people like the Zhou (joh)

10. The Shang Capital City Included a palace, temple, houses, & workshops
Nobles lived in wood & earth homes close to the palace
Lower classes lived in smaller earth homes further out

11. Shang Government Powerful Kings were in charge
Smaller kingdoms were ruled by brothers/nephews
Power would pass to a younger brother or son
Shang armies protected the king with bronze weapons
Foot soldiers, archers, cavalry riding horses & elephants, and fighters in chariots

12. Shang Social Classes King Nobles Craftsman Traders Farmers Slaves
These have already been studied. Review the human flashcards for each of these.

13. Shang Religion
Ancestor worship- honoring ancestors through rituals such as offering of food and wine or human sacrifice
Believed the dead could help or harm the living
Kings followed ancestors wishes and used oracle bones to ask advice. Then write the translation on the bone.

14. Examples of Oracle bones…

15. Shang Writing Earliest writing is found on oracle bones
Characters stand for words, not sounds
Started with just pictures but then went to characters that stood for words
Helped unify China even when the spoken language differed.

16. Shang Art Amazing bronze workings Jade carvings
Vessels and animal masks were common
Weaponry helped keep Shang in power for over 500 years
Jade carvings
Made beautiful jewelry

17. The End of the Shang
Fighting so many wars, weakened the Shang military
Lavish spending weakened their economy
Possibly a foolish king who was more worried about himself than his people cost the dynasty.
Zhou armies defeated & overthrew the Shang storming the capital city.

18. Make an oracle bone
Cut a sheet of paper into the shape of a bone or turtle shell
For fun, ask a question for the future.
Create cracks in the bone as if a hot bronze pin has been pressed into the it’s center.
Then write the question and answer on the bone, as the Shang would inscribe on the oracle bones.

19. Legalism Based on the teachings of Hanfeizi
He lived from B.C.E. during the time of Warring States
Like Confucius and Laozi he wanted to restore peace and order to China

20. Teachings of Legalism
Based on the idea that most people are naturally selfish
People will pursue their own self-interests instead of what’s best for everyone
Rulers had to set a good example
How could they do this?

21. Rule under legalism
Strict laws were needed to keep basically selfish people in line.
They were enforced with rewards and harsh punishment.
No one could be trusted, not even government workers.

22. Hanfeizi saw many rulers overthrown. Ways to stay in power:
Keeping rule
Hanfeizi saw many rulers overthrown. Ways to stay in power:
Give rulers absolute power
Back them up with military power
Rulers trust no one, not even family

23. Influence of Legalism
At the end of the Warring States period, the Qin rulers read and admired Hanfeizi’s work.
They adopted strict Legalist ideas
No one could criticize the government
While there were pros and cons, order was restored under this form of government in China