1. CHINA 1

2. China Ancient Chinese civilization developed mostly isolated from other major civilizations Why? Geography West and Southwest Tien Shan and Himalayan Mountains and desert Southeast Thick jungle separated China from Southeast Asia North Gobi Desert East Pacific Ocean 2

3. Early Chinese Civilization Neolithic farming developed on the East Coast along the Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Rivers Huang He also called the Yellow River since it carried loess (fine windblown yellow soil) 3

4. Chinese Dynasties Dynasty – a series of rulers from the same family Mandate – a right AND a responsibility New Dynasty Earns Mandate of Heaven Restores Peace Appoints loyal officials Redistributes land Builds canals, irrigation systems, and roads Repairs defenses Aging Dynasty Begins to lose Mandate of Heaven Neglects Government duties Allows corruption Loses control of provinces Imposes heavy taxes to pay for luxuries Allows defense to decay Disaster Occurs Flood, or famine Earthquake Invasion Peasant Revolt Result: loss of Mandate of Heaven 4

5. Xia Dynasty 2100 BC – 1600 BC Possibly fictional No written records from this time Many different city states along the Huang He were collected under the control of Yu the Great (or Yu the Engineer) Yu the Engineer was said to have dredged the river to prevent the devastating floods 5

6. Shang Dynasty 1600 BC – 1046 BC Conquered more than 1800 city-states in northern and central China Looked to dead ancestors to guide their lives Oracle Bones Animal bones used to find divine answers from their ancestors Answers were carved into the bones afterwards Developed system of writing using pictographs and ideographs Writing on these bones gives us insight into how the Shang might have lived 6

7. Zhou Dynasty 1045 B.C. – 256 B.C. Conquered the Shang Dynasty Longest Chinese Dynasty Strongest in the first 300 years Much of the second half of the Zhou Dynasty is referred to as the Warring States Period Believed in a God and a concept of Heaven called Tian Ruled according to the Mandate of Heaven Mandate – an official order to do something a RIGHT and a RESPONSIBILITY Rulers should be virtuous Only through virtuous rule will the ruler maintain the right to rule If ruler is not virtuous, they can lose the Mandate 7

8. Zhou Dynasty Social Structure King – Nobles - Peasants Feudalism – political system of land grants in exchange for loyalty King grants land to Nobles in exchange for military allegiance Nobles allow Peasants to farm land in exchange for military service Confucius Philosopher during Warring States Period Stay tuned….. 8

9. Qin Dynasty 221 B.C. – 206 B.C. Very brief but VERY INFLUENTIAL Qin King defeats other kings in Warring States Period Renames himself Shi Huangdi – “First Emperor” Rejected Confucianism, adopted Legalism Legalism – governing with strict laws Emphasized rewards and (harsh) punishments 9

10. Qin Dynasty Largest Dynasty yet Built 4000 miles of roads Great Wall Nomadic horsemen to the north were a constant threat Shi Huangdi linked together earlier walls to create one Great Wall 30 ft. high Over 1500 miles long Built in only 7 years As many as 500,000 lives lost during construction Wall you see today was rebuilt in 14 th century 10

11. Qin Dynasty Additional Changes: Standardization Language Money Weights and measures Rejected Feudalism for expanded bureaucracy Bureaucracy: A network of appointed government officials Nobles lands were turned into provinces Power was centralized with the Emperor Required a STRONG ruler After Shi Huangdi, his son was not strong, leading China into civil war 11

12. Han Dynasty 206 B.C. – 220 A.D. Over 400 years Rejected Legalism for Confucianism Eventually combined the two Expanded the Empire Large army conquered lands to the north, south, and west Extended the Great Wall Used foreign ambassadors to promote peace Created civil service system Government officials were chosen and promoted based upon SKILL, rather than loyalty or family name Why is this good? 12

13. Han Dynasty Trade on the Silk Road China began to trade more expansively with the West Called the Silk Road because Chinese silk was in high demand Highly profitable for the Chinese Not one road, but a collection of roads linking trading posts Chinese traders didn’t make it too far west, but their goods did 13

14. Han Dynasty Additional Advancements: First Chinese dictionary History texts Seismograph Measures earthquakes Wheelbarrow Paper Boat rudders Practiced Taoism Stay tuned… 14

15. Religion in China Confucianism Confucius Emphasized social order and good government, as well as honesty, integrity, loyalty, and pursuit of knowledge Harmony results from people accepting their place in society Everyone has a duty and a responsibility Superiors should set a good example Inferiors should be loyal and obedient Taoism Lao-Tse Emphasized harmony with nature Tao – the way of the universe Harmony was found through contemplation, not intervention “Go with the flow.” Yin-Yang – represents duality of the universe – there is always good and bad Buddhism Spreads from India to China around 100 A.D. 15 Started as PHILOSOPHY, turned into RELIGION.