1. Early Chinese Civilizations
Ch 3 Sec 3

2. Learning Goal
I will be able to describe the early civilizations in Ancient China

3. Impact of Geography
Fertile valley between Huang He(yelllow) River and the Chang Jiang(Yangtze)River is where China’s first civilizations developed
Only 10% is suitable for crops
Geographical barriers- mountains and deserts- isolated China from other parts of Asia

5. The Shang Dynasty Mainly a farming society ruled by an aristocracy
Lasted from 1750bc to 1045bc
Shang king ruled from capitol city Anyang
Land divided into territories governed by a Warlord picked by king

6. Shang Dynasty Social Structure
Royal Family
Aristocracy- chief landowners
peasants- worked the lands
Artisans, Merchants and slaves also were included in the society

7. Shang Dynasty Religion and Culture
They believed in supernatural forces which could help the rulers in worldly affairs
Believed important to treat spirits of ancestors well because the spirits could bring good or bad fortune.
Best remembered for mastery of bronze

8. Zhou Dynasty Lasted from 1045bc to 256bc
Longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history- 800yrs
Same political structure as the Shang Dynasty- territories governed by warlords
Zhou king was link between heaven and earth by Mandate of Heaven - authority to rule by heaven

9. King was expected to rule the people with goodness and efficiency
King was expected to rule according to the proper “Way” or Dao. had to keep gods pleased
Mandate of Heaven was closely tied to the pattern of dynastic cycles.

11. Family Life
At the heart of the concept of family in China was the idea of Filial piety.
this meant every family member had his or her own place in the family.
Men were the dominant figure
Women raised the children and worked in the home

12. Zhou Accomplishments
large scale water projects were set in motion to control the flow of rivers and spread water evenly to the fields
Iron plowshares-increased land available for farming
Trading of silk reached as far as Greece

13. Most important cultural contribution of ancient China to later Chinese society was the creation and development of the Chinese written language
Started out as pictographs(picture symbols) and ideographs(characters that combine two or more pictographs together)