1. Ancient China
Unit 3

2. Geography
Two important rivers: Chang Jiang (Yangzi) and the Huang He (Yellow)
Rich soil deposits made by loess, fine dusty soil carried from desert winds.
Southern China is warm and received plenty of rainfall (rice)
Northern China is cooler and drier (wheat and millet)
Covered with mountains (Himalayas), hills and desert (Gobi), which protect China from invasions

3. Rivers, Soil, and Climates!
Like civilizations of the Fertile Crescent, China also develops in river valleys.
Annual floods deposit rich soil on the rivers flood plains.
Summer monsoons bring heat, humidity, and flooding.
Winter winds from the north cold and dry.
Summer winds from the south bring warm, wet weather.

4. Farming
Most people were farmers who live and work on the land of a rich landowner.
Mostly live in villages
Some crops they grow go to the emperor as a tax. Then some go to the landowner, the remaining they keep.
A special spring ceremony for luck.

5. Isolation
The rivers, irrigation, and fertile soils for planting allowed China to thrive.
Relative isolation covered with mountains, hills, and a desert protected China from invasion.
Himalayas separated China from India and Southern Asia
The Gobi desert discouraged people from the west .

6. Quick Facts About the Neolithic Period in China
10,000 BCE to 2,000 BCE
Defined by the development of permanent settlements that depended mostly on farming & domesticated animals instead of hunting & gathering.
These 1st settlements grew around the major rivers.

7. Neolithic China The shift from Hunter/gatherers to agriculture.
Ceramics, most commonly vessels for food storage, and settled or semi-settled agriculture are the characteristics of Neolithic cultures.
Tools and other technologies are achieved through pottery, jade, and bronze.
Pieces were built up in the coil method by hand.

8. Specialization
Once permanent settlements were built-farmers farmed millet, wheat, & rice; while others concentrated on their one chosen profession…thus specializing in & perfecting one craft (job).

9. Neolithic Homes
Neolithic Chinese lived in pit dwellings (like this one).

10. Xia (SHYAH) Yu the Great: first ruler and founder of the Xia.
Yu is remembered for teaching his people how to control flooding from the rivers.
Yu is considered one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (mythical emperors).
The only evidence that they existed for a long time was from an ancient Chinese history book.
1959 archeologist found an ancient city, Erlitou that the ancient history books said was their capital. Others claim it’s a city not of their dynasty.

11. The Shang Formed around 1766 B.C.E. Ruled by a strong monarchy.
King surrounded by a court or gathering of wealthy nobles.
Appointed governors to rule certain parts of the kingdom.
Had a large army who fought outside armies and against rebellions.
Ruling elite had free time for leisure activities.

12. Shang cont. Largely an agricultural society.
Spent most of the time in the fields.
Called to fight in the army or as slaves in building projects. (tombs, palaces, or walls)
Most of what we know come from studying royal tombs.

13. Shang Beliefs Tombs contained valuable items made of bronze and jade.
Held the remains of hundreds of sacrificed prisoners of war.
Believed in an afterlife.
Ancestor worship, offering gifts to deceased ancestors.
Sought advice of oracle bones interpreted by priests.

14. Shang Writing was developed along with oracle bones.
Build huge stable structures such as tombs.
Astronomers created a precise calendar based on the moon.
May have created the worlds first system of money.
They ruled China for more than 600 years until 1100 B.C.E. but the growing population was too much to control.

15. The Zhou (Joh)
Armies from a nearby tribe called the Zhou invaded and established a new dynasty.
Held control for several centuries divided into two periods.
Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou period.

16. Zhou
They worried the people would not accept them when they took over.
Mandate of Heaven: gods would support a just ruler, but they would not allow anyone corrupt to hold power.
Used the mandate to explain the dynastic cycle.

17. Zhou Achievements Zhou learned how to use iron instead of Bronze.
Iron became the backbone of their economy.
Iron strengthened their army and weapons.
Population and cities grew.
Built roads and canals for transportation and communication.
Began to use coins and use chopsticks.

18. Zhou Decline
The Western Zhou was a peaceful period from Xian. Many cultural achievements.
Conflict arose and in response the kings moved east marking the Eastern Zhou.
Clan leaders within China rose up and turned against the Zhou. The Zhou fell in rebellions.
The Warring States Period from 403 until 221 B.C.E.
Small states led by nobles fought each other for land and power.
The Qin eventually end this period and take over.

19. The Warring States A chaotic brutal time in China.
Led thinkers to question the nature or society and of people’s roles in it.
Make sense of the chaos led to new philosophies.
Occurred in the late Zhou period of new philosophies Confucianism and Daoism.

20. Philosophy phi·los·o·phy Noun:
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, esp. when considered as an academic discipline.
A set of views and theories of a particular philosopher concerning such study or an aspect of it.

21. New Philosophies Confucianism Based on teachings from Confucius.
Born 550 B.C.E. believed people should treat one another humanely.
Love, respect by practicing traditional manners and rituals. (honor ancestors)
Analects a book of collections of Confucius teachings.
A ruler should treat subjects fairly then subjects rewards with respect and loyalty.
Need to respect family, children must respect elders.
Educated people have a duty to serve the public.
Rulers should be advised by educated people not by birth.

22. New Philosophies Daoism
Retreat from laws of society and yield to laws of nature.
The Dao (or the way)the limitless force that is part of all creation and all things in nature are connected.
By achieving or finding ones place in nature then you can achieve harmony with the universe.
Yin and Yang to represent this harmony, the balance of nature (male-female, light-dark, hot-cold)
One cannot exist without the other.
Continues to influence China for centuries.