1. World History (9/25)
Do Now: What do the following all have in common? List as many shared features as possible.

2. What does this have to do with anything?
Dynasty
Our examples=a succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business, politics, or another field
Historical definition=A line of hereditary rulers of a country

3. Once again, a brief moment of geography
What do you notice about the geography of ancient China?
Two minutes and discuss with a partner
Rivers
The Yellow
The Yangtze
Mountains and deserts
Key word=Isolation
Nomadic invaders threaten the peace

4. The Shang dynasty (1650-1122 BCE)
Clans-Family groups who controlled most of land
Stayed loyal to the Shang
Warriors important
Land owning nobles
Merchants
Provide outside goods
Not as respected-their money comes from others work
Most people?
Peasants
Work the land for the nobles

5. Religious beliefs Veneration of ancestors Yin and Yang
Gods would not listen to mortals
High class ancestors could speak to them
Eventually other classes as well
Through oracle bones-bones used to predict the future
Oldest examples of Chinese writing
Yin and Yang
What is this symbol all about?
Two minutes with a partner

6. Yin and yang: How might this have influenced chinese Civilization?

7. The dynastic Cycle Explains how ruling families gained/lost power
Mandate of Heaven
The gods gave ruling family the right to rule
Divine right
When previous king/dynasty misused/abused power or became ineffective leaders, they had lost this mandate (approval)
This gain and loss of the mandate is known as the dynastic cycle

8. Can you gain the mandate of heaven?
To better understand how Chinese civilization functioned, we will play a game I like to call Dynasty (patent pending)
Objective:
Gain the Mandate of Heaven and provide good government to your subjects
How to play:
Find the other people with your shared number
Follow along with the instructions on the screen
Keep track of the action and results on your game boards
Each player will keep track of this information

9. Let’s play… Have each player in your group roll the dice
The following roles will be assigned (highest roll to lowest roll)
High roll=King
2nd and 3rd highest=Lords (given lands by the King)
4th and 5th highest rolls=peasants (work the land given to the lords)
Remember the concept of yin and yang
All players should strive for harmony and balance throughout the game

10. Mark it down Lords-petition your king
Which territory do you want and why (grow crops or raise herds of animals?)
What can you offer your king in return (amount of tribute paid to king)?
On your game boards, mark the boundaries of the lord’s territory
Response (complete sentences for all responses)
Lords-Why did you want this territory?
Peasants-For which lord do you want to work ? Why?
King-Why did you grant the lords the land you did?

11. Rounds one and two: Roll the dice
King-Which of these projects would you like to address?
Peasants wish to have own land
Defensive walls need to be erected/repaired
Canals, irrigation systems, and roads need to be built
Any changes made should be reflected on game boards
Example: boundaries of new territory
Roll the dice:
5 or 6-project addressed throughout all territory
3 or 4-project addressed in half of territory (king may choose)
1 or 2-project not addressed
Reaction: Are you pleased with the performance of your king?
If yes, explain why and continue to round two
If no, explain why and decide if you want to test the mandate of heaven
Dice roll- 5/6: king has lost the mandate of heaven
Both lords now roll to see who will become next king (highest roll wins)
Peasants-you may roll to see if you can become a lord (territory to be assigned by new king); must roll higher than the lords roll to move up to their vacated position
Old king-any territory/role will be assigned by new king (you may lobby them for land or other considerations)
Dice roll-3/4: uncertainty with mandate; need to build consensus with other lords/peasants and roll again
Dice roll-1/2: king keeps the mandate of heaven

12. Rounds three and four: problems
King: How will you handle these problems?
6=flood
5=earthquake
4=famine
3=peasant revolt
2=invasion
1=invasion
Problems should be reflected on game boards
Show where flood, earthquake, famine, etc. occurred (choose own symbols for these)
Response:
King: What do you plan to do to solve this issue? How can you prove you still have the mandate of heaven?
Lords/peasants: How are you affected by the problem? Do you want to challenge the mandate (same process as rounds one and two-see below)?
Dice roll- 5/6: king has lost the mandate of heaven
Both lords now roll to see who will become next king (highest roll wins)
Peasants-you may roll to see if you can become a lord (territory to be assigned by new king); must roll higher than the lords roll to move up to their vacated position
Old king-any territory/role will be assigned by new king (you may lobby them for land or other considerations)
Dice roll-3/4: uncertainty with mandate; need to build consensus with other lords/peasants and roll again
Dice roll-1/2: king keeps the mandate of heaven

13. Game over
After the game, complete the following response questions (complete sentences):
Was your king able to keep the mandate of heaven? For how long? How did this affect the country?
What factors (hint: connect to SPRITE here) caused your king(s) to lose the mandate of heaven?
Could these factors be controlled by the king? Why or why not?
What was life like for you in this game? How were you affected by the factors around you?
How was ancient China affected by the dynastic cycle and the mandate of heaven? Again, connect to SPRITE in your answer (Hint: focus on S, P, R, and E)?