China

Chinese Dynasties

• 1500-1046 BC Shang Dynasty• 618 – 907 AD Tang Dynasty• 960-1279 AD Song Dynasty• 1279-1368 AD Yuan Dynasty• 1368-1644 AD Ming

Dynasty• 1644-1911 AD Qing Dynasty

Founder of Song Dynasty

Founder of Tang Dynasty

Founder of Ming Dynasty

Agriculture

• Grow rice• Barley• Sorghum• Millet• Soybeans• wheat

• Developed ways to irrigate their crops• Used iron farm implements – Made farming more effective– Made more land available for farming

• Why is this important?

Commerce

• Trade with their neighbors– Tin was imported to make bronze– Cowry and turtle shells exported– Exported iron ore products– Exported silk

Money

• Silk, jade, pearls, metal leather, dogs and horses was used as money at first

• Began casting bronze into shapes • First civilization to print paper money

Innovations

Paper

• Developed earliest known paper

• Developed toilet paper, tea bags, paper money

Compass

• First to use a compass• Used it to align buildings• Used it late to find direction – during the Song

dynasty

Gunpowder

• Discovered it by accident• Trying to come up with substance that would

give them eternal life• Quickly developed weapons– Flamethrowers, rockets and crude bombs

• Developed guns during the Ming Dynasty

Printing

• First to develop woodblock printing• Also developed movable type printing, but

didn’t utilize it• Johannes Gutenberg was the first to utilize it.

Earliest known book – Tang Dynasty

Iron

• Among the first to develop cast iron

Merchant Class

• Merchants were considered undesirable• Thought to be dangerous because they were

mobile and wealthy• They weren’t allowed to own property or

serve in the government

• Things changed during the Song Dynasty• They took examinations and entered civil

service• They worked to become respected and

influential members of Chinese society

• The growth of the merchant class brought benefits to China

1. Factories were built2. Towns rose up near trading centers3. Standard of living improved

Religion

Ancestor Worship

• Hoped their ancestors would bless and guide them

Confucianism• 5 basic relationships1. Father and son2. Elder and younger brothers3. Husband and wife4. Friend and friend5. Ruler and subjects

Confucius

Buddhism

• Founded on four truths:1. Suffering is part of all existence2. Suffering has a cause3. Suffering can be overcome by destroying

selfish desires4. If man follows the eightfold path, he will

destroy selfish desires and end suffering

Taoism

• Peace and harmony can be found by living in harmony with nature

• Very passive that rejects striving after power, wealth and learning

Lao-tzu