EARLY CHIN

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GEOGRAPHY OF ANCIENT CHINAoChina is located on the continent of Asia• Has one of the largest landmasses in the world

oMajor rivers flow through China• Yellow River & Yangtze River

These rivers provide fertile land for farming• Once a year these rivers would flood, fertilizing the soil

o Even though it is large in size, only one tenth of its land can be farmed• Much of China is covered in mountains and deserts

o Eventually, the people of China were able to come together to create a unified civilization• They called themselves the “Middle Kingdom” because they

believed they were at the center of the worldo First people who settled in China, Xia Dynasty, settled in the

Yellow River basin

SHANG DYNASTYo Settled around the the banks of the Yellow River• Archeologists found evidence of the first ever Chinese cities

o Ruled by a king• Later, warlords ruled over the smaller areas around the civilization

Aristocrats = nobles whose wealth comes from the land they owned• Majority of the population were farmers

o Shang people worshipped their Gods and Ancestorso They would use Oracle bones to tell the future and what would

happen• These are the first examples of Chinese writing

o Chinese writing was made up of pictographs and ideographs• Pictographs = characters that stand for objects• Ideographs = are another kind of character used in Chinese

writingo The Shang are known for weaving silk and producing bronze

Yellow River Valley

Oracle Bones

ZHOU DYNASTYo Established by an aristocrat named Wu Wang who led a rebellion to overthrow the Shang Dynastyo The Zhou Dynasty developed a centralized form of government• Zhou emperor established a large bureaucracy

Bureaucracy = made up of appointed officials who are responsible for different areas of the government

• Aristocrats were in charge of their own independent territories • The King was considered to be a link between heaven and earth

o Kings were chosen by the Mandate of Heaven• Mandate = a formal order• Mandate of Heaven had 4 rules to governing the state:

1. Heaven chooses the ruler2. A person’s virtue determines their right to rule3. No dynasty is permitted to rule forever4. Rebellion and disaster is evidence that ruler loses legitimacy to the throne

o Farmers developed new technologies to improve crop productiono Eventually the separate territories gained too much power and began fighting with one another• Known as the “Period of the Warring States”

Dynastic

Cycles

A DAY IN THE LIFE IN ANCIENT CHINAoThe Chinese were broken up into many different social classes• Social Class = includes people who share a similar position

in society• The upper class lived in beautiful homes with yards and

farmland These people were known as aristocrats

• Majority of the population were farmers Practiced terrace farming – allowed them to farm in the dry

mountain side• The lowest class were merchants

Ranked below farmers because they relied on farmers to do their job

oThe Chinese family was the building blocks of their society• Practiced filial piety = children must respect their parents

and older relatives

Terrace Rice Farming

CHINESE THINKERSo During the Period of the Warring States, many Chinese thinkers sought

ways to reform the societyo Three main philosophies emerged:oConfucianismo Based on the teachings of Confuciuso Preached the ideas of virtues, respect, loyalty and devotion

o People should put the needs of their family and community firstoDaoismo Based on the teachings of Laozio Preached the ideas of balance, nature, and destiny

o People should give up worldly desires in favor of nature and the Daoo Legalismo Based on the teachings of Hanfeizio Preached that people were innately evil and would do wrong if

allowed too Society needs a system of harsh laws and strict punishment

QIN DYNASTYo During the Period of the Warring States, a group of people took over the

states one by one until they developed the Qin Dynasty• Led by Qin Shihuangdi = means “the First Qin Emperor”

o Developed a strict, rigid government based on the teachings of Legalism• Centralized the government• Killed anyone publicly opposing his views• Created a universal currency• Built roads and the Grand Canal

o One important achievement was the creation of the Great Wall• Many nomads from the north threatened to attack farming villages• He started the building of the wall, however it was not nearly completed

by the end of his reigno His cruel leadership caused people to rebel• 4 years after his death, the people overthrew his dynasty

Civil war ensued to decide who would be leader

Grand Canal

HAN DYNASTYo Founded by Liu Bang

o Was once a peasant but became a military leader and defeated his rivalso He continued the leadership of centralizing the government

o The Han Dynasty reached its peak under the leadership of Han Wudi who ruled from 141 B.C.E. to 87 B.C.E.• He created a civil service system in China

Had to pass a test to work as a government official• Saw to it that only those who are qualified will secure jobs in the government

• Only one in five passed the exam• As people prepared for these tests, they focused on studying law, history, and the teachings of

Confuciuso With the explosion in education many new inventions and ideas arose• Paper• Steel• Salt• Medicines• Acupuncture• The rudder

o This allowed China to continue to modernize

THE SILK ROADo The emperor Han Wudi ordered a general named Zhang Qian to

explore areas west of China• He did not find Chinese allies, the original purpose of the journey,

however he discovered many civilizations to the west He described meeting the Romans, the Muslims, and many other

booming civilizationso Emperor Wudi was excited to learn about the impressive cavalry and

began an extensive trade network stretching 4,000 miles from western China to southwest Asia

o This was known as the Silk Roado This became the predominant trade route across Europe and Asia and

encouraged a blending of cultures and ideas