1. Ancient Civilizations Chapter 7
Ancient China
Ancient Civilizations
Chapter 7

2. Section 1: Geography and Early China
I. China’s Physical Geography A. A Vast and Varied Land 1. Borders a. Gobi Desert in the north b. Pacific Ocean in the east c. Qinling Shandi separates northern & southern China 2. plains in China form one of world’s largest farming regions

5. 1. Huang He (Yellow River) & Chang Jiang (Yangzi River)
B. The Rivers of China
1. Huang He (Yellow River) & Chang Jiang (Yangzi River)
2. floods left silt to enrich soil
3. floods also destructive

6. Fishing on the Yangzi River

7. Civilization Begins
A. The Development of Farming
1. started along Huang He & Chang Jiang Rivers
2. fished, hunted, & domesticated animals

9. B. Early Settlements
1. larger towns had walls around them for protection
2. burial sites-believed in an afterlife
a. included containers of food
b. graves of rich included jewelry & objects made from jade, a hard gemstone

10. This wall at Pingyao is 40 feet high and 10-20 wide at the top.

11. Burial urn used to hold grain for the dead.

12. 1. c. 2200 B.C.-based on ancient stories 2. no evidence found
III. China’s First Dynasty
A. The Xia Dynasty
1. c B.C.-based on ancient stories
2. no evidence found
3. stories showed cooperation was important

13. 2. king was center of political & religious life
B. The Shang Dynasty
B.C.
2. king was center of political & religious life
3. social order develops
4. develop China’s first writing system

14. a. carved questions on bones b. heated bones in fire
5. oracle bones
a. carved questions on bones
b. heated bones in fire
c. priests read the cracks to predict the future, answer questions

15. Oracle bone

18. Section 2: The Zhou Dynasty and New Ideas
I. The Zhou Dynasty A. The Zhou Political System 1. longest lasting dynasty 2. mandate from heaven a. Heaven gave power to the king b. Used this idea to rebel against Shang rulers

19. Considered the founder of the Zhou dynasty
Zhou Wen Wang
Considered the founder of the Zhou dynasty

20. 3. lords
a. people of high rank who received plots of land
b. hoped to keep them loyal
4. land ownership was important
5. peasants
a. lowest social class
b. farmers

21. 1. Zhou lost battle to invaders
B. The Decline of Zhou Power
1. Zhou lost battle to invaders
2. many civil wars broke out by B.C.
C. Internal Problems
1. family structures breakdown
a. large families formed powerful groups
b. families broke apart—lost power
2. China lacked a strong government

22. Confucius & Society
Confucius
most influential leader in China’s history
wanted to restore family order & harmony
ethics-moral values
king should lead by example

24. B. The Analects-book
1. Confucius’ ideas & teachings written down by his students
2. helped guide & shape beliefs of China

25. First page
of Analects

26. Daoism & Legalism
Daoism
1. Stressed harmony with Dao, guiding force of all reality
People should avoid interfering with nature or each other
Keep a balance of opposites
*Laozi
a. most famous Daoist teacher
b. Wrote
The Way and its Power

27. Laozi

28. 1. the belief that people are bad by nature
B. Legalism
1. the belief that people are bad by nature
2. people need to be controlled by strict laws
3. legalism was a political system, not a religion
4. legalists were first to put their ideas into practice throughout China

30. Section 3: The Qin Dynasty
I. The Qin Emperor's Strong Government
A. Shi Huangdi Take the Throne
1. Ying Zheng becomes Shi Huangdi "first emperor"
2. first emperor-unified & strengthened China
3. created a strong gov't with strict laws

31. Qin Shi Huangdi

32. 4. burned all writings that did not agree with Legalists
5. used armies to expand empire

33. 1. Shi Huangdi claimed all power 2. took land away from lords
B. China Under the Qin
1. Shi Huangdi claimed all power
2. took land away from lords
3. divided China into districts-kept strict chain of command

35. Unified China
Qin Policies
set up a uniform system of laws throughout all of China
standardized the written language
new money system
copper & gold become the currency
standardized weights
trade became easier & increased

36. a. connected capital to every part of the empire
B. Qin Achievements
1. build network of roads
a. connected capital to every part of the empire
b. travel became easier

37. Plank road used to go through difficult terrain.

38. Plank roads were built to make it possible to travel through difficult terrain like these cliffs.

39. 2. built canals to connect rivers
a. easier to transport goods from north to south
3. irrigation canals made more land available for farming

40. This irrigation canal was built during the Qin Dynasty and has been used ever since.

41. 4. Great Wall
a. Built to stop invaders
b. Connected earlier pieces of wall
c. Did not build the first pieces

44. 1. many disliked the harsh ways
C. The Fall of the Qin
1. many disliked the harsh ways
2. country begins to fall apart within a few years after Shi Huangdi’s death

45. This is thought to be Shi Huangdi’s burial mound
This is thought to be Shi Huangdi’s burial mound. The path leading to the mound is lined with statues of his generals.

46. Qin Shi Huangdi’s Mausoleum

47. Shi Huangdi ordered 8000 terracotta soldiers be made to guard him in the afterlife. Each soldier is different from the others.

48. Section 4: The Han Dynasty
I. Han Dynasty Government
A. The Rise of a New Dynasty
1. Liu Bang becomes first emperor of Han Dynasty only common person to become an emperor
2. wanted to free people from harsh gov't

50. B. Wudi Creates a New Gov't
1. wanted a stronger central gov’t
2. gov't was based on ideas of Confucius
3. Confucianism became official gov't philosophy
4. to get gov't job had to pass a test on Confucius

51. Wu Di

52. Wu Di

53. II. Family Life
A. Social Classes
1. based on Confucian system
2. divided into four social classes
3. military not an official class
B. Lives of Rich & Poor
1. peasants were second class, but poor
2. merchants were fourth class, but often rich
3. social class did not indicate wealth

55. C. Revival of Family
1. Confucian philosophy emphasized family
2. father was the head of the family- had absolute power

56. Han Achievements
Art & Literature
Painters became experts at figure painting
Showed daily life
Fu-combined prose & poetry, long
Shi-short lines of verse to be sung
5. Shiji describes Chinese history

57. Art of Han Dynasty

58. 2. sundial-used position of shadows of sun to tell time 3. seismograph
B. Inventions & Advances
1. invented paper
2. sundial-used position of shadows of sun to tell time
3. seismograph
a. measures the strength of an earthquake
b. predict future evil events
4. acupuncture-inserting fine needles through skin to cure diseases

60. Ancient Sundial Ancient Seismograph

61. Section 5: I. Farming & Manufacturing (Han Dynasty)
A. Productivity Increased---made contact with other cultures
1. became master ironworkers
2. iron weapons made army more powerful
3. iron tools increase farm production

62. A copper lamp from the Han Dynasty

63. B. Silk
1. increased production of silk
2. silk-soft, light, highly valued fabric
3. procedure was highly guarded

64. Ironing silk

65. Painted silk garment from the Han Dynasty

66. II. Trade Routes
A. Expansion of Trade
1. people farther west wanted silk-Wu Di wanted strong horses for army
2. made a profit trading silk for horses & other products

68. B. The Silk Road
1. Silk Road
a mile long network of routes
b. stretched westward throughout China
2. traveling Silk Road was difficult
3. China grew wealthy trading silk with Rome

69. Traveling the Silk Road

70. A. Arrival of a New Religion 1. Han gov't becomes less stable
III. Buddhism Comes to China
A. Arrival of a New Religion
1. Han gov't becomes less stable
2. Buddhism provided more than hope
3. offered rebirth & relief from suffering

71. First Buddhist art in China

72. 1. diffusion-the spread of one culture to another
B. Impact on China
1. diffusion-the spread of one culture to another
2. Chinese culture changed in response to Buddhism

73. Buddhist temple in Nanjing, China