Preview: Medieval China

Take notes and make educated guesses and observations from the

images and sources provided

Geography

Physical Geography

Neighboring Countries

Change in Dynasties Over Time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs34AJqmB5I

Chinese Geography

• China's natural barriers to the west, south, and east helped to protect these early people from invasion.

• China's natural barriers include seas - the China Sea and the Yellow Sea, both located in the Pacific Ocean. These seas provide a huge coastline, which provided trade routes and easy access to food.

Confucius

Confucius

Confucius “The Teacher”

Confucius lived from 551- 479 BC and he studied hard and became one of the best-educated Chinese of his time. His ideas influenced Chinese society after almost 2,500 years! A central idea of his teachings is ren, which means harmony among humanity.

Zeng He

Zeng He

Fifty years before Europeans began searching for a sea route to the East, Chinese ambassador Zeng He explored the West. His emperor sent him to collect presents to display the splendor and power of China. He sailed to SE Asia, India, Arabia and Africa in 1400s.

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjWscQolTK4&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL15F19D4B3D52991A

Trade and Travel

“Junks”

Junks or Chinese sailing boats carried goods along the coast.

“Merchants from southern and central provinces come to this town in seagoing junks to sell such dutiable (taxable) goods as spices. Merchants come bringing copper cash, silk thread, silk floss, silk gauze and thin silk and do an extremely thriving trade with them.”

c. 1088

Chinese Inventions

The sailors are sure of their bearings. At night they judge by the stars. In daytime they tell by the sun. When it is cloudy, they rely on the south pointing needle.

(description of ancient Chinese compass)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx-x7BrgjSA

Inventions con’t

• Printing press c. 700 CE(cultural diffusion)

• Movable-type printing press c. 1045 CE

• Gunpowder c. 600s CE

• Compass “fish”

Mongols in China

“Kublai Khan staged many attacks on the Song Dynasty in Southern China. His forces finally overpowered the last group of Song defenders in 1279. Kublai thus became the first ruler to control all of China in over 300 years.”

Ming

Although merchants prospered, most Chinese were eager to expel the foreigners (Mongols) who did not share their appreciation of cultural customs and traditions; they founded a new dynasty in 1368 known as the “Ming.”

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the imperial palace under the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It’s located in present-day Bejiing and it served a ceremonial and political center for the Chinese government.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/7248-china-chinese-architecture-of-the-forbidden-city-video.htm

Qing Dynasty

Invasions from the north continued under the Qing Dyansty as Manchus attempted to invade and conquer China. In 1644, the Manchus successfully invaded and ruled until 1912. Qing rulers wanted to preserve their own culture but adopted some Chinese (Ming) traditions like their civil service system.