1. Dynasties to Communism Continuation for China Unit

2. Population make-up China has 1.29 billion people. 92% belong to the ethnic group HAN CHINESE. They have a very distinctive culture. The other 8% belong to 55 other ethnic groups. These smaller ethnic groups have struggled to protect their culture from the Han Chinese influences.

3. A LONG LONG TIME AGO… China’s civilization is more than 4,000 years old. Until the early 1900s emperors or empresses ruled. Most lived in the Imperial Palace. (Beijing.)

4. Dynasty A dynasty is a line of rulers from a single family. Under dynasties China built a highly developed country and conquered neighboring lands.

5. The Great Wall To defend the north from invaders, the Chinese began building the Great Wall 2,200 years ago. Over the years it has been rebuilt and lengthened. It is now 4,000 miles long. From the Yellow Sea to the deserts of the west

6. Beliefs and inventions Chinese thinkers believed that learning was a key to good behavior. 500 BC Confucius taught people should be polite, honest, brave, and wise. CHILDERN WERE TO OBEY THEIR PARENTS, and every person was to respect the elderly and obey their country’s rulers. His teachings shaped China’s government and society until the early 1900s.

7. Laozi Laozi was another thinker during Confucius’ time. His teaching is Daoism. Stated that people should live simply and in harmony with nature. His ideas appealed to artist and writers.

8. Buddha Buddhism came to China from central Asia about 100 AD. Taught meditation, wisdom, and morality could help people find relief from problems.

9. Inventions Paper and ink was invented by the Chinese. Other inventions were: silk, the magnetic compass, printed books, gunpowder, and fireworks. For hundreds of years China was the most advanced civilization in the world.

10. Problems arise 1700s and 1800s Europeans increasingly entered China. They wanted to get fine Chinese silk, tea, and pottery. They used military force to get China to trade. In 1911Dr. Sun Yat-Sen led an uprising and overthrew the last emperor. China became a Republic.

11. China’s Republic won’t last long There was disorder with the establishment of the Republic. Two major political parties emerged. The Nationalists Party and the Communist Party. After WWII, the two parties fought to gain control.

12. The Communist win. In 1949 the Communist party set up the People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. The Nationalists fled to the offshore island of Taiwan. There they set up a rival government.