1. Mr. Schoff Global History I
Chapter 3 Section 3
Mr. Schoff
Global History I

2. OA
Turn to page 65
Read “The Huang He Floods” on page 61

3. Ancient China
Ancient China
Ancient China

4. Geography of China Called their land Zhongguo, the Middle Kingdom
Most isolated civilizations up to this point
Isolation added to the Chinese belief that China was the center of the Earth and the sole source of civilization

5. Geographic Barriers High mountatin ranges – Tien Shan, Himalayas
Brutal deserts – Gobi
Thick jungles
Pacific Ocean
Even with these barriers, they still traded with neighboring people and eventually, goods reached the Middle East and beyond
Most outsiders were nomads
To the Chinese, these nomads were barbarians who did not speak Chinese and lacked skills and achievements of a settled society
Nomads conquered China from time to time, but usually absorbed the advanced Chinese civilization

6. Main Regions Huang He (Yellow River), Yangzi
Fear of floods as seen in Chinese symbol
Floods destroyed crops, caused mass starvation
Fertile farming regions supported largest populations
Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria

7. Shang Dynasty
1650 B.C B.C.
Shang kings led noble warriors in battle
Noblewomen had status
Kings controlled only a small area
Princes and nobles governed most of the land
Royal family protected by noble warriors
Used leather armor, bronze weapons, horse-drawn chariots

8. Shang Dynasty continued
Artisans produced goods for nobles
Bronze weapons, silk robes, jade jewelry
Most people were peasants
All family members worked in fields, used stone tools
When not in fields, peasants repaired dikes and river banks

9. Shang Dynasty continued
Complex religious beliefs
Shang Di and a mother goddess who brought plants and animals to Earth
King was seen as link between people and Shang Di
Believed Shang Di would not respond to pleas of mere mortals
Chinese called on the spirits of their ancestors to bring good fortune to the family
Believed universe reflected a delicate balance between two forces…yin and yang
Yin linked to Earth, darkness, and female forces
Yang stood for Heaven, light, and male forces

10. Shang Dynasty continued
System of writing – tens of thousands of characters, each character representing a word or idea, made up of a number of different strokes
10,000 characters to read a newspaper

11. Zhou Dynasty 1027 B.C.-256 B.C. Overthrew Shang
Promoted idea of Mandate of Heaven, divine right to rule, to justify rebellion
This would be used to later explain dynastic cycle, or rise and fall of dynasties
Floods, famine, or other catastrophes were signs that a dynasty had lost favor of Heaven

12. Zhou Dynasty continued
Feudalism – local lords governed their own lands in turn for their military service and other forms of support to the ruler
China’s economy grew
Knowledge of ironworking – iron axes, ox-drawn iron plows…farming more productive
Commerce expanded – copper coins had holes in middle to be strung on cords
This early form of money economy made trade easier
Merchants benefited from new roads and canals constructed by feudal lords

13. Zhou Dynasty continued
Economic expansion led to population growth
Huang He people overflowed into central China and began to farm the immense Yangzi basin
Feudal nobles expanded their territories and encouraged peasants to settle in conquered territories
China was increasing in area, population, and prosperity at the end of the Zhou Dynasty

14. Chinese Achievements
Astronomers studied movement of planets and recorded eclipses of the sun
Accurate calendar of 365 ¼ days
Art and technology of bronzemaking
1000 B.C. – discovered how to make silk thread from the cocoons of silkworms
Women did most laborious work of tending the silkworms and processing cocoons into thread
Wove silk threads into smooth cloth that was colored with brilliant dyes – only royalty and nobles could afford robes made from this luxurious silk
Silk became China’s most valuable export
Trade route that linked China and the Middle East became known as the Silk Road
Kept this process of silkmaking a secret to control profitable trade

15. Chinese Achievements continued
Under the Zhou, they made the first Chinese books
Bound thin strips of wood or bamboo together, carefully drew characters on flat surface with a brush and ink
Book of Songs (pg. 65) – poems described events such as the lives of farming people, praising kings, love songs

16. THE DYNASTIC CYCLE IN CHINA
PG. 64

17. Identify major cultural achievements in early China

18. JADE JEWELRY

19. STRETCH, ENERGIZE FOR THE 2ND HALF!