1. China
Chapter 5, Section 1

2. Dragons In China, the dragon was a respected spirit, not a monster.
Dragons are associated with good luck.
They were believed to be the gods of rain, which brought good soil to the land.
The rivers were described as dragons.

3. Geography
The North China Plain is in the East and is built up of soil deposits from the Huang River.
The Plains have a brief summer rainy season
Rest of the time, the climate is very dry.
The climate in the south is warm and wet.
The monsoons bring heavy rain March to September.

4. Geography
Geographic barriers (mountains and seas) separate China from the rest of the world.
As a result, they were not aware of other kingdoms and referred to themselves as the Middle Kingdom.

5. Rivers China’s rivers overflowed their banks each spring.
The overflow caused the early civilizations to be built by the rivers.
First civilizations were built by the Huang river, and then spread to the Chang, China’s longest river.

6. Huang River Huang is the second longest river in China.
It is the muddiest river in the world.
Also known as the Yellow river because of the loess, or yellow-brown soil.
It allows the Chinese farmers to grow Millet.
Also known as China’s Sorrow.
Provides soil, but also floods and drowns people.

7. Huang River
To help with the flooding, the Chinese built dikes, a protective wall.
As more loess settled in the river, it caused the river level to rise. Eventually it rose over the dikes.

8. Early Civilizations It is believed the early farmers were nomads.
Possible they settled along the river as early as 5000 B.C.
The Shang Dynasty was the first civilization, around 1760 B.C.
They built the first cities.

9. Early Civilizations
One accomplishment of them was their work in bronze.
They also developed a written language.
Another dynasty began to the west – the Zhou Dynasty.

10. Early Civilizations
The two dynasties lived together until the Zhou conquered the Shang in about 1122 B.C.
The Zhang ruled China for about 1000 years.
Divided into two parts – the Western Zhou dynasty and the Eastern Zhou.
The Qin Dynasty emerged after this.

11. Mandate of Heaven
The idea that people came to power because it was their dynasty.
The throne was either inherited or fought for.
It supported the leader’s right to rule.
Also give the right to fathers to rule over their families.

12. Family The family was at the center of the early Chinese society.
A person’s first responsibility was to family over the individual or the nation.
Traditional families lived together. All the generations and extended family may live in the same house or in cottages close to one another.

13. Family
The status of each person in the family group was dependent on the age and sex of the person.
The oldest man was the authority in the family. He decided who the family members would marry.
After he died, then the sons would divide the land and become head of their own household.

14. Family Women were considered a lower status than men.
They were bound by the three obediences.
Fathers in youth
Husbands in marriage
Sons in widowhood

15. Family Four virtues also guided their behavior
Morality
Modesty
Proper Speech
Domestic Skills
When married, she left her house and went to her husbands. Was also expected to abide by the wishes of her mother-in-law.

16. Family 300 B.C., the Chinese adopted family names.
The family name came first, followed by the individual name.
Using the family name first showed the importance of family.
Confucius, a philosopher, would have ideas about family.

17. Homework
Read P
Answer questions #1-3